Bumper crop leads to drop in garlic prices, farmers suffer
A bumper garlic production in Hadauti region has led to a dip in its prices, leading to losses for farmers.
“Last year, the price of garlic ranged between ₹60 and ₹90 per kilo (depending on the quality) in the Kota fruits and vegetable mandi. This year I have suffered losses selling 60 quintals of garlic at an average price of ₹23- 27 per kilo,” said Ramkishan Meena, a garlic grower from Sandri village in Bundi district.
Another farmer, Jagdish Meena from Ganpatpura village, said that this year he sold garlic at a price ranging between ₹13 and ₹19 per kilo which had fetched him ₹65 per kilo last year.
Hadauti region is known for Rajasthan’s garlic bowl. After healthy profits last year, the area under garlic production had doubled this year.
According to agriculture department’s official figures, garlic was cultivated in around 66,500 hectares last year which went up to 1.38 lakh hectares this year. Around 3.94 lakh metric tonnes of garlic was cultivated in Hadauti region in 2015-2016 which went up to 7.87 lakh metric tonnes in 2016-17.
A wholesale agriculture trader of Kota, Ramesh Kumar said that at present garlic is being sold at ₹15- ₹40 per kg, which was ₹50- 100 per kg last year.
Agricultural marketing department joint director HS Mishra admitted that the price of garlic prices had taken a dip — it was around ₹10,000 per quintal last year and ₹2,500-₹5,000 per quintal this year — and the profit of garlic growers has gone down.
Farmer organisations are demanding that the government purchase garlic at a minimum price.
Dashrath Kumar, the general secretary of Hadauti Kisan Union, said that due to lack of storage facilities and short shelf life of garlic, farmers are forced to sell the produce at a lower price.
Garlic growers are facing losses as more than 50% is being sold at under ₹20 per kilo, so the government should buy garlic under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), added Kumar.