2 weeks Ago
Despite a ban on importing Chinese garlic due to the discovery of certain harmful fungi in the imported consignments, India continues to get Chinese garlic, as indicated by the latest data on seized consignments. Considering this, the government has directed the agencies concerned to take necessary measures to stop the illegal import of Chinese garlic into the country. As many as 507 tonnes of Chinese garlic was been seized in the country during the 2024-25 fiscal.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Ramnath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said the government has imposed ban on import of Chinese garlic from September 6, 2005, due to the repeated discovery of certain harmful fungus such as Embellisia alli and Urocytsis cepulae in garlic consignments imported from China. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has reported that Customs field formations and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 546 tonnes of Chinese garlic during 2023-24, he said. Stating that Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has also received a complaint regarding sale of Chinese garlic in Chennai markets, the Minister said it has directed the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department for monitoring and surveillance activities.
All Plant Quarantine Stations under Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare have been directed to take necessary measures to stop illegal import of Chinese garlic into the country, he said. The import of agricultural commodities is regulated through the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order 2003, and commodities are allowed for import after detailed pest risk analysis conducted by Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage (DPPQ&S), Faridabad, and accordingly pest mitigation measures adopted by exporting countries. Central government agencies such as Plant Quarantine Stations, CBIC and DRI inspect the import of commodities and their mode of entry and take necessary action against the defaulters as per the provisions of Plant Quarantine Order 2003, and Customs Act 1962, he added.
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