Mumbai, July 11 -- Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday urged the Central Government to immediately stop the illegal import of substandard raisins from China, citing significant losses to grape-growing farmers and national revenue, according to an official statement.

Pawar wrote to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, highlighting the growing problem of poor-quality raisins being smuggled into India and evading import duties and taxes.

The influx of cheap, substandard raisins has led to a drastic drop in the prices of domestically produced raisins by nearly Rs.100-Rs.150 per kilogram, causing major financial distress to grape farmers. The illegal imports are resulti...