Retail prices for garlic, a pungent bulb that is vital to Indian cooking, have increased from Rs 40 a year ago to almost Rs 400 per kg in some markets last week, particularly in the northeastern states. When the prices first started to rise, three months ago, the herb sold for Rs 150. Only when a new crop is ready for harvests in January, according to traders, are rates expected to stabilise.
Due to an El Nino global weather pattern, a patchy monsoon devastated summer-planted garlic and onion crops in Karnataka and Maharashtra, with parts of those regions receiving up to 55 per cent and 57 per cent of deficient rainfall during July and August. El Nino, which is characterized by rising Pacific temperatures, brings about dry weather in India. This year’s June-September monsoon, which normally waters slightly less than half of the nation’s net-sown area, was nearly 5 per cent below average due to the weather anomaly.
The average retail price of garlic in India over the past week has ranged from Rs 230 to Rs 350, with some states in the northeast experiencing prices as high as Rs 400, according to Prakash Tomar, a trader in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, the biggest hub for wholesale trading of the vegetable. The priciest variety sold in Mandsaur on Monday for a wholesale price of Rs 23,000 per quintal (100kg).
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