The Chinese garlic case has now reached the court.
Chinese Garlic Issue: The issue of Chinese garlic or garlic coming from China being sold indiscriminately in the markets is gaining momentum. The Allahabad High Court on Friday summoned the nominated officer of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department of the Uttar Pradesh Government and asked how the banned ‘Chinese Garlic’ is still available in the market. Let us tell you that there are reports of Chinese garlic being sold in markets in different parts of the country. After the matter gained momentum, action started and several quintals of Chinese garlic was seized in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh. Come, let us know why there is so much uproar over this garlic.
Why did the Chinese garlic case reach the High Court?
A lawyer named Motilal Yadav had filed a public interest litigation in the High Court regarding Chinese garlic. The lawyer had said in his petition that ‘Chinese garlic’ is banned in the country due to its harmful effects, yet it is easily available in the entire country including Lucknow. Hearing the petition, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court also questioned the Centre’s counsel about the exact mechanism in place to prevent the entry of such goods into the country and also asked what would be done to trace the source of its entry. Has any exercise been done for this? The petitioner had presented about half a kilo of ‘Chinese garlic’ as well as normal garlic before the judges during the court proceedings.
Why is Chinese garlic considered dangerous?
It is said about Chinese garlic that the fungus present in it can cause serious diseases. Besides, very high levels of pesticides have also been observed in Chinese garlic. Methyl bromide is also used on it to protect it from insects, due to which eating this garlic increases the risk of stomach diseases like ulcers, infections etc. Consuming this poisonous garlic causes kidney related diseases. However, Chinese garlic is cheaper than local garlic, hence despite being banned, it is being sold indiscriminately in the markets to earn more profits.
What is the difference between Indian and Chinese garlic?
Now the question is how to differentiate between the two garlic. Let us tell you that if you pay a little attention, Chinese garlic can be easily identified. Its colour, shape and smell are quite different from local garlic. The color of Chinese garlic is light white and light pink. Whereas, if we talk about local garlic, it is small in size and its color is white or cream colored. There is a difference in the smell of both. On one hand, while the smell of desi garlic is strong, the smell of Chinese garlic is mild.
