Korea Seed & Variety Service said on the 19th that it will carry out intensive inspections focused on major domestic garlic-producing areas as the peak distribution season for seed garlic (garlic seed bulbs) for farmers' sowing approaches in August–September. Korea Seed & Variety Service will both promote the seed distribution system and conduct on-site inspections in key garlic-producing regions, and it will also conduct continuous online monitoring.
Korea Seed & Variety Service said that ahead of this fall's sowing season, it increased imports of seed garlic to 670 tons (t) year over year to meet domestic demand, but warned that imported edible garlic unsuitable for use as seed could be disguised and distributed as seed garlic.
Korea Seed & Variety Service will focus inspections on seed business registration, notifications for production/import and sales of varieties, production year or month and year of packaging, and month and year of import, which are seed quality labeling items, and plans to work with relevant agencies such as the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service if it suspects illegal acts such as violations of origin labeling.
If an investigation finds that seeds were sold without registering a seed business or without filing notifications for the production, import, or sale of a variety, the violator faces up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won, and if the obligation to label seed quality information is violated, fines are imposed.