Minister Piyush Goyal assures garlic traders to look into the issue of illegal imports

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has assured garlic traders that they will look into their concerns about illegal import of agricultural commodities, an official said on Saturday.

A delegation of garlic traders met the minister on January 10 and highlighted the difficulties farmers and traders are facing due to the importation of garlic from China, said a commerce ministry official.

According to traders, Chinese garlic is banned in India, but it is brought to this country, which hurts farmers and traders, without distorting the garlic market.

Traders suspect that some imports were sent to Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq to avoid the ban on Chinese imports.

“The minister assured them that the government will examine their request and take strict action against the law, if any,” the official added.

The country’s garlic procurement stood at USD 7 million in April-October in this budget. It was USD 31.4 million in 2023-24.

About 80 percent of the country’s imports come from Afghanistan. Other major exporters to India include the UAE, Iran and Egypt.