Harmful Chinese Garlic Floods Markets In Assam

Harmful Chinese garlic has made its way to markets of Assam with several truckloads of garlic bags, with red and green labels marked “Product of China”, arriving daily from Meghalaya’s Shillong transporting the commodity to various parts of the state.

Currently, the price of garlic in the market now ranges from Rs 300-Rs 400 per kilogram. This exorbitant price hike is due to a severe shortage of garlic in the local markets. Taking advantage of the situation, some unscrupulous traders are reportedly running a huge racket, importing Chinese garlic from Shillong at lower prices and selling them here at much higher rates.

Garlic generally comes to Assam from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore and Rajasthan and goes through quality checks before entering the state, leading to local traders preferring smuggled Chinese garlic from Shillong.

While Chinese garlic is sold at a minimum wholesale price of Rs 200 per kilogram, its retail price ranges between Rs 250 and Rs 300 per kilogram. In contrast, garlic from Indore is sold at a wholesale price of Rs 250 to Rs 300 per kilogram, with its retail price touching Rs 400 per kilogram.

Chinese garlic is being smuggled into the state by the truckload daily without any such testing reveals a concerning level of negligence on the part of the state’s Food and Civil Supplies Department.

As compared to local garlic, Chinese garlic is naturally larger in size and lacks any distinctive odor, with its side effects well documented. Notably, India banned the import of Chinese garlic in 2014 following reports of garlic infested with fungus entering the country.

Some concerns smuggled garlic may contain high levels of pesticides. As the world's largest garlic producer, China has come under scrutiny for its garlic practices. A professor from Jadavpur University previously informed TOI that Chinese garlic is treated with a fungicide containing methyl bromide to inhibit fungal growth for up to six months. Furthermore, he noted that Chinese garlic, typically characterized by its larger cloves, is often bleached with harmful chlorine. This bleaching process not only kills insects but also prevents sprouting and whitens the bulbs.

Another professor pointed out that Chinese garlic lacks the beneficial properties found in regular garlic. Specifically, allicin—a compound known for its ability to regulate blood pressure, serve as a natural antibiotic, and enhance immunity—is present in significantly lower concentrations in the Chinese variety.

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