After onion, it’s garlic’s turn to bite
A sudden rise in prices of garlic has added to the woes of consumers already paying around Rs 60 per kg for onion. The spicy bulb with stronger taste and odour than the humble pyaaz is currently retailing at around Rs 210 per kg, compared to Rs 40 a year ago and Rs 150 three months back.
Traders are attributing the spike in lahsun (garlic) prices to the delayed harvesting and arrivals of the kharif crop. Garlic, like onion, is cultivated during both the kharif and rabi season. The kharif garlic is planted in June-July and harvested in October-November, while in September-November and March-April for the rabi crop.
“The monsoon rains were delayed this time and sowing could take place only from August. Therefore, harvesting has been delayed and the new crop will start coming to the market only in January. And it doesn’t look a very good crop, with too much rain in September-October not helping either,” said a leading trader at Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh.
