Customs authorities have deployed sniffer dogs and alerted its local intelligence at wholesale distributors and warehouses to prevent smuggling via bordering Nepal and Bangladesh, said people aware of the matter.
“There has been a spike in such instances, especially in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and the Northeast, where garlic is transported via Nepal,” a customs official told ET on condition of anonymity.
India had banned import of Chinese garlic in 2014 following reports of fungus infested garlic making its way into the country. There are also concerns about the smuggled garlic being high in pesticides, said the people cited earlier.
Last month, customs authorities caught a shipment of 64,000 kg Chinese garlic worth ₹ 1.35 crore at Sikta land customs post.
There has been a surge in smuggling due to the increase in prices in the domestic market and sharp increase in exports, according to people in the know.Industry insiders estimate the stock of Chinese variety at 1,000-1,200 tonnes in the country. Since November last year, prices have almost doubled to ₹450-500 kg. Loss of crop and delay in sowing are seen as the primary reasons behind the price surge over the past few months.Local traders flagged the issue with the government soon after Chinese variety started being dumped in the market.
China and India are among the top global garlic producers, but demand for Indian garlic has increased particularly after Covid-19, especially in the US, West Asia, Brazil and Asian countries.
India’s garlic export in 2022-23 stood at 57,346 tonnes, valued at ₹ 246 crore.
According to the Spices Board, India exported 56,823 tonnes of garlic valued at ₹277 crore in the April-September period in this financial year.
