Health Risk: Large Quantities of Harmful Chinese Garlic Seized and Destroyed in Maharajganj

Maharajganj 11 September (desk):-Maharajganj: Despite being hazardous to health, Chinese garlic continues to flood border markets, as smugglers bring it into India for profit. The cheap garlic is making its way into Indian markets, reaching cities like Gorakhpur and Kanpur. Following a lab report deeming the garlic unsafe for consumption, the Nautanwa Customs Office destroyed 1,400 sacks of it on Tuesday.

Last month, customs officials had seized these sacks of Chinese garlic from various locations in the region. The garlic was sent for laboratory testing, and the results confirmed that it was unfit for human consumption. Acting on this report, the customs department crushed and disposed of the garlic using a JCB machine at a site behind the Nautanwa gas storage facility. Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Vaibhav Singh, stated that the garlic was unsafe to eat and had to be destroyed immediately to prevent any health risks.

At the destruction site, officials from the customs department, including Superintendent SK Patel, Shubham Singh, HR Gurung, and Pushpendra Yadav, were present. Meanwhile, in the local Nautanwa market, officials claim that no Chinese garlic is being sold. Traders from the new market, like Vinay Kumar, assert that they only sell locally sourced garlic from Rajasthan, but admit that sales of Indian garlic have been affected.

Businessmen from the region are calling for stricter actions against those involved in the illegal trade of Chinese garlic. Many point out that the smuggled garlic is sold at much cheaper prices—around Rs 80-90 per kilogram in Nepal—compared to Rs 250-270 per kilogram in Indian markets. Local garlic sellers, like Alok, insist on selling only domestic garlic, expressing concern that the consumption of harmful garlic for minor profits poses a serious risk to public health.