Eighteen people were awarded different jail terms for using harmful chemicals for ripening bananas.

A mobile court of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) seized huge amount of chemical-coated bananas during a drive at Karwan Bazar kitchen market in the capital, Dhaka, today.

“We found that the fruit vendors are using harmful chemicals like Ethophen and many others to ripen the fruits. The label on the chemical bottle clearly states that such chemicals should not be used on fruits,” said Sarwar Alam, RAB-2 Executive Magistrate.

During the drive, the mobile court confiscated around 80,000 bananas and destroyed those later, he added.

A team of experts also investigated the presence of harmful chemicals in mangoes but did not find chemicals in mangoes during the drive.