FSSAI tells TN govt to crack down on sale of banned Chinese garlic in Chennai

NEW DELHI: Food safety regulator FSSAI has received complaints regarding sale of banned Chinese garlic in Chennai markets and has directed the Tamil Nadu government to look into the matter, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Import of Chinese garlic has been banned since September 2005 after authorities found fungus Embellisia alli and Urocytsis cepulae in the product.

Chinese garlic is bigger than the traditional Indian variety, which makes it easier to peel, and also cheaper to buy – both in wholesale and retail. Banned in India since 2014 for its high pesticide content, it affected the livelihoods of farmers especially in Madurai, Dindigul and Theni districts.

Minister of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, said the Central Board Of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had seized 546 tonne of Chinese garlic in 2023-24, and 507 tonne in 2024-25. Further, FSSAI has also received a “complaint regarding sale of Chinese garlic in Chennai markets”.

FSSAI has directed Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department for monitoring and surveillance activities. “All Plant Quarantine Stations under the Department of Agriculture have been directed to take necessary measures to stop import of banned Chinese garlic into the country,” he added.

The import of agricultural commodities is regulated through 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.

Further, various agencies namely Plant Quarantine Stations, CBIC and DRI inspect the import of commodities and their mode of entry and take necessary actions against the defaulters as per the provisions of Plant Quarantine Order, 2003 and Customs Act, 1962.