Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 06:54 , by Press Association

Beware the exploding Chinese melons

Fields of watermelons have been exploding like landmines in China
after farmers gave them overdoses of growth chemicals during wet
weather.

About 20 farmers around Danyang city in Jiangsu province were
affected, losing up to 115 acres of melon.

Prices over the past year prompted many farmers to jump into the
watermelon market. All of those with exploding melons apparently were
first-time users of the growth accelerator forchlorfenuron, although
it has been widely available for some time, China Central Television
said.

The farmers used it during a very wet period and put it on too late in
the season, causing the melons to burst, agricultural experts said.

Chinese regulations do not forbid the drug, and it is allowed in the
US on kiwi fruit and grapes. But the report underscores how farmers in
China are abusing both legal and illegal chemicals, with many farms
misusing pesticides and fertilisers.

Farmer Liu Mingsuo ended up with eight acres of ruined fruit and told
CCTV that seeing his crop splitting open was like a knife cutting his
heart.

"On May 7, I came out and counted 80 but by the afternoon it was 100,"
Liu said. "Two days later I didn't bother to count anymore."

Intact watermelons were being sold at a wholesale market in nearby
Shanghai but even those showed tell-tale signs of forchlorfenuron use:
fibrous, misshapen fruit with mostly white instead of black seeds.

The government warned over the widespread overuse of food additives
like dyes and sweeteners that retailers hope will make food more
attractive and boost sales.

Although Chinese media remain under strict government control,
domestic coverage of food safety scandals has become more aggressive
in recent months, an apparent sign that the government has realised it
needs help policing the troubled food industry.