The Madhya Pradesh High Court's Indore bench has put an end to the long-standing debate over whether garlic is a vegetable or a spice. The court has officially classified garlic as a vegetable, allowing its sale in both vegetable and spice markets. This decision is expected to benefit farmers and traders who previously dealt with garlic primarily as a spice.
The Garlic controversy
The controversy began in 2015 when a farmers' organisation in Madhya Pradesh persuaded the mandi board to classify garlic as a vegetable. However, the agriculture department quickly reversed this decision, reclassifying garlic as a spice under the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act of 1972. In response, the Potato, Onion, and Garlic Commission Agents Association challenged the decision in 2016, bringing the matter to the Indore bench of the High Court.
Legal disputes and arguments
In February 2017, a single judge ruled in favour of the association, sparking a dispute among traders who argued that the decision primarily benefited commission agents rather than farmers. A petitioner, Mukesh Somani, filed a review petition in July 2017, leading to the recent ruling by Justices S.A. Dharmadhikari and D. Venkataraman. The bench upheld the 2017 decision, restoring the previous system that allowed farmers to sell their produce directly in the market without paying commissions to agents.
Court's final stand
The court also noted that although garlic is classified as a spice, changing this classification is beyond the state government's jurisdiction. The court concluded by stating, "Therefore, no further decision regarding its classification can be made at this time, except that it will continue to be considered a vegetable."
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