Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV.
Today, first of all I want to warn you about the danger that has reached your kitchen. The shiny, clean, big garlic you buy and eat, thinking it is good, is actually Chinese garlic, which is a slow poison and dangerous for health. The government has banned the import of Chinese garlic, selling it is prohibited, but they are reaching India via Nepal or Afghanistan. Nowadays, Chinese garlic is being sold in abundance in every vegetable shop. Allahabad High Court has issued a notice to the government asking that when Chinese garlic is banned, then how is it coming into the country and being sold openly? A petitioner reached Allahabad High Court with Chinese garlic. Told the judge that the sale of this garlic has been banned for 10 years and its import is also illegal. This is a violation of the law and playing with people’s health. The High Court called the officials of the Food Safety Department and directed them to inform the entire situation after examining them in the lab within two weeks. The court gave time but also directed that the government should warn people about the dangers of Chinese garlic and issue a helpline number on which people can call or message to complain about where Chinese garlic is being sold.
After China, India ranks second in the production of garlic in the world. The garlic sold in the market with small nodes is local, and the garlic which is completely white and has big, thick nodes is Chinese garlic. Some garlic is also imported from Iran. It is also larger in size, but is light pink in color, whereas Chinese garlic is completely white. It is difficult to differentiate between Iranian and Chinese garlic, hence Chinese garlic is being sold indiscriminately in the name of Iranian garlic. It has been found out that most of the Chinese garlic is supplied through Nepal and Afghanistan. Garlic is first transported from China to the markets of Nepal, then from there the commission agents and smugglers secretly bring it across the border to India. On Thursday, police had seized 110 bags of Chinese garlic in Maharajganj, UP. Chinese garlic was tested in 2014. The Chinese garlic did not meet the standards of purity and had failed in the lab test. More pesticides than the prescribed quantity were found in Chinese garlic. Due to being genetically modified, Chinese garlic also gets fungal infections easily, hence it was considered dangerous and the government banned it. Who would have thought that a small garlic would become such a big issue, but this is Chinese garlic. Earlier, Chinese rice, Chinese eggs and Chinese noodles had caused trouble. All these were dangerous for health. Similarly, Chinese garlic was also found dangerous.
China is the world’s largest producer of garlic, but it is heavily dosed with pesticides, and is grown in septic tank water. In our country, especially in Ayurveda, garlic is considered a kind of medicine. In case of blood pressure, garlic is given to increase immunity, but if the medicine itself becomes poison, then what will happen to the patient can be guessed. Now the question is, what is the difference between Chinese garlic and desi garlic and how can it be identified? Let me give you some tips. Chinese garlic is larger in size, while desi garlic is smaller. Chinese garlic cloves are short and thick, while desi garlic cloves are long and thin. You will get Chinese garlic completely white whereas Indian garlic can be dull or even yellow. Chinese garlic has less odor and desi garlic has a stronger odor. Similarly, Chinese garlic is very easy to peel but desi garlic has so many layers of peels that it takes time to peel it completely. Now when you go to the market, identify which garlic you are buying and which garlic you are eating, because both are available in the market. Chinese garlic is a little cheaper, but desi garlic is expensive. My advice is that you should not fall into the trap of cheap. The quality and reliability of a product whose name is prefixed with Chinese is doubtful. That’s why be careful. (Rajat Sharma)
Watch: ‘Aaj Ki Baat, Rajat Sharma Sath’ full episode of September 27, 2024
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