Over 1,000 Tonnes of Banned Chinese Garlic Seized in Two Years; Food Safety Department on Alert
New Delhi, April 1 — The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has received a complaint regarding the sale of banned Chinese garlic in Chennai markets and has instructed the Tamil Nadu government to launch surveillance and monitoring operations, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.The import of Chinese garlic has been prohibited since September 2005, following the detection of harmful fungi — Embellisia alli and Urocytsis cepulae — in shipments entering the country.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur confirmed that enforcement agencies have already taken significant action. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 546 tonnes of Chinese garlic during 2023–24, and an additional 507 tonnes in 2024–25.
Following the recent complaint, FSSAI directed the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department to intensify monitoring efforts in local markets, especially in Chennai, to curb the circulation of the banned product.
The government has also reinforced preventive measures at the border. All Plant Quarantine Stations under the Department of Agriculture have been instructed to ensure strict checks and prevent the import of Chinese garlic into India.
The regulation of agricultural commodity imports falls under the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 2003. Imports are permitted only after a comprehensive Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) conducted by the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (DPPQ&S), Faridabad, and only when pest mitigation strategies by exporting countries are deemed satisfactory.
To ensure compliance, multiple agencies — including Plant Quarantine Stations, CBIC, and DRI — inspect commodity shipments, verify entry modes, and take legal action against violators as per the Plant Quarantine Order, 2003, and the Customs Act, 1962.
The continued vigilance is part of a broader effort to safeguard public health and protect India’s agricultural ecosystem from invasive pests and diseases linked to unauthorized imports.
