Officials seized 10,890 kg of bananas allegedly ripened using chemicals during surprise raids on shops and storage facilities in various parts of Udupi district on Thursday.
The raids were conducted in Aleyur, Kemthur and Duglipadavu villages by teams led by officials including Assistant Commissioner Rashmi SR,
Udupi Tahsildar Gururaj and Food Safety Officer Vivek.
The seized bananas, estimated to be worth around Rs 8.71 lakh, have been seized by the officials. The action was taken as part of the department's drive against the use of chemicals for artificially ripening fruits. Officials have booked the owners of the units.