Calif garlic farmers cede decade-long battle to Chinese exports

azcentral.com ^ | Jul. 22, 2003 01:55 PM | Rachel Konrad

[SierraWasp]

Ah Wilhelm... I've found a soulmate!!! (grin) "People think I'm weird because I like the freshness and subtlety of steamed veggies without seasoning of any kind."

Don't worry! People freak out when they see me eat a tossed salad without ANY dressing!!! (just a sprinkling of salt)

I knew if I stuck my neck out, I'd find somebody that saw it my way. What a thrill! I'm finding myself more and more in the minority on more and more. It's so depressing!!!

I still like stick shifts. I hate front wheel drive. One of my two legal addictions (caffine and nicotine) is becoming societial leprosy. I still like frosted doughnuts that aren't Crispy Cremes. I actually like instant coffee better, expecially Kava. I'm still proud to live in the strongest, richest and pretty much FReest nation on earth and the only "ugly Americans" in my opinion are the ones who run it down!!!

There! Now everyone knows how weird I have become in my old age!!!

[hedgetrimmer]

[hedgetrimmer]

For the wine afficiando:

[farmfriend]

I read article after article about how our agriwelfare makes our food exports so cheap, we are destroying the ability of third world nations to feed themselves.

Bull sheet. We are regulating our farmers out of business. The only thing keeping our farms from going the way of the lumber mills is agriwelfare. Many of us are pushing for a free market system for environmental conservation that would get rid of government regulation. It would be better for the environment and preserve private property rights at the same time. It can be marketed around the world as well. Once that has happened, then we can move to a free market system for agriculture. If we don't take care of the government regulation problem first we will lose our agricultural industry as sure as we have lost our lumber mills.

[lewislynn]

"Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see!!! (except in CA, believe NOTHING!!!"

---

the only "ugly Americans" in my opinion are the ones who run it down!!!

Add in hypocrites and I couldn't agree more

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[xm177e2]

American garlic sells wholesale for 60 cents to 80 cents per pound, compared to 40 cents to 50 cents per pound for Chinese exports.

Is this really such a big difference in price, when one considers just how little garlic is used per dish?

[jellybean]

...whole raw garlic is simply too harsh to be edible.

Nonsense!!! I've been doing it since I was a little girl!! I use garlic in almost everything I cook, even slice it into salads. It's a blood thinner and a natural antibiotic. It's good and it's good for you!!

Carlo, this thread is crying out for some of your great Italian recipes :)

[Beck_isright]

Another nail in the coffin.

[countrydummy]

now if you think garlic smells, try these! lol lol

http://www.wild-leeks.com/

You cannot stand to be near a person for days after they have eaten these delicious critters if you do not partake yourself! lol

[Fearless Flyers]

After discovering the source for SARS , was Chinese farming and the fact doesn’t make it into an article about their food imports, look out for Asians studying the aerosol properties of garlic.

The recent international outbreak of SARS which beginnings traced back to the a Chinese farming community, does anything but speak for allowing food imports to go uninvestigated.

It may be to late for the U.S. Garlic Farmer, discovering the $1 a week labor market and unregulated agriculture industry, has allowed China to dump it’s product for half its value. The Chinese have become too great an adversary to compete with as Americans find common sense for our survival, superceded once again with misplaced loyalties.

[Cronos]

You would, I would, but what about the libs and the large chunk of the population who just don't care? I really despair of ever competing with the chicoms at times. It does seem like a no-win situation.

[Cronos]

when they underpriced American garlic despite tariffs of 376 percent

Yeah and we've got tons of folks asking for tariffs on all kinds of stuff. I don't think any of this would work until we get the yuan to be at least partially free. at 8.4 yuan to a dollar, it's grossly undervalued. If the exchange rates are set correct we could witness a correction to this situation.

[Risa]

>>If they marked the jar or raw bulb "100% California Garlic" I'd buy it instead of the Chinese stuff, even if the price is higher.<<

I do buy only local. For a few years now, I have been buying produce and meat only from local producers and ranchers. In fact, almost everything I buy is local, or crafted by Americans. If I cannot know the source, I refuse to buy it.

I know many people in different parts of the country who do the same.

I think people need to make a choice about what kind of world they want to live in, and should buy accordingly.

[csvset]

China Garlic update....

DEATH BY GARLIC: Imagine the damage that 10m-high shelves loaded with garlic can do when they come crashing down. This is what happened at a cold store in central China's Henan province on Wednesday. More than 30 people were dug out of the mountain of garlic stalks, and of these, 15 were dead. -- AP