A senator in America has demanded a ban on imported garlic from China. Regarding Chinese garlic, Senator Rick Scott claims it is not good for the country’s security. The American senator also wrote a letter to the government to investigate Chinese garlic.
Republican Senator Rick Scott wrote in the letter that Chinese garlic is second-grade and unsafe for the country’s citizens. Scott has written a letter to the Commerce Minister demanding that he investigate the impact of garlic import from China on national security.
Rick Scott claims Chinese garlic is unsafe. They claim that this garlic is grown through dirty methods. Let us tell you that China is the world’s largest garlic exporter, and America is its largest consumer.
America has been accusing China of dumping garlic at very low prices in its country. According to a BBC report, America has imposed heavy tariffs or taxes on many Chinese goods since the mid-1990s to retain local producers in the market. These tariffs were further increased in 2019 during the tenure of the Trump administration.
US Senator Rick Scott wrote in his letter, ‘Public health is a serious concern regarding the safety and quality of garlic grown abroad, especially in Communist China.’
He claims that garlic is grown in China using drain water. He has asked the Ministry of Commerce to take action on this. He has asked for an investigation under the law in which the import of a particular item affects American security.
The US senator argues that ‘this is an emergency regarding food safety and security that poses a serious threat to our national security, public health and economic prosperity.’
However, The Office for Science and Society at McGill University in Quebec says there is “no evidence” that sewage water is used as fertiliser to grow garlic in China.
However, he also said that even if it is so, there is no problem. He noted that human excreta also acts as an effective fertiliser in the same way as animal excreta. Growing crops by throwing human waste in fields may not sound good, but it is safer than we think.
A Bloomberg report also quoted scientists as saying crops grown on fertilisers made from faeces and urine are safe. However, there is very little chance of chemicals reaching the food through faeces and urine. Experts believe there will be no fertiliser shortage by using excreta and urine as fertiliser. Apart from this, grain prices will also be positively affected.
