S. Korean move leaves Chinese garlic farmers fuming

Garlic can significantly reduce the contamination risk of Cronobacter sakazakii, a foodborne pathogen that can lead to fatal infections of infants, in the production of dry infant formula powder, according to a new Canadian study.[Photo/IC]

Commodity exporters from Lanling incur huge losses after consignments are rejected on quality issues

Garlic exporters in Lanling county of Shandong province have been urged to search for new buyers after South Korea's Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp rejected shipments from the region last month, even as the local government vowed to take legal action against the move.

About 2,200 metric tons of garlic shipped by exporters in Lanling to South Korea were returned in January because of quality issues, the Asian country claimed.

The local farmers had won a South Korean government procurement bid to export 2,200 tons of garlic in November. The farmers had to prepare the products within one month and transport them to Busan Port in two batches.

Song Jiacai, general manager of Lanling Jinyifa Food Co, which has been supplying garlic to South Korea for more than six years, vehemently denies that the garlic shipments had quality problems.

"The South Koran authorities deliberately created technical obstacles by using the wrong inspection procedures for Chinese garlic," he said.

Though the intermediary company and the exporters had purchased garlic from local farmers in accordance with the tender document floated by the South Korean authorities, some farmers said they had chosen the best quality products for shipment.

"To be honest, the garlic was carefully selected and the quality is even better than what we sell in the domestic market," said the 41-year-old manager, who, along with 23 local exporters and farmers, plan to appeal to the South Korean embassy, trade and investment representative office in Beijing. Song said the authorities have told him to wait for further information.