BENGALURU: With the supply of garlic down by 50 per cent at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard in Yeshwanthpur, the rates for the spice have skyrocketed to Rs 350 a kg in the wholesale market, and Rs 400 in the retail market.
Deepak J Shah, secretary of Bengaluru Wholesale Garlic Traders Association, said, “Bengaluru normally receives 3,000 bags of garlic a day, with each weighing 40 kg, but over the last few days, the supply is down by 50 per cent, resulting in a rate spike.” He further added that due to drought in the North Indian states, the supply was hit.
“A huge quantity of garlic is grown in Ranebennur in Haveri district, but that is insufficient to cater to the whole of Karnataka. The state usually receives garlic from states like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. But now, we are getting supply only from Madhya Pradesh, but by the end of the month, normal supply will resume from Gujarat and Rajasthan, and the rates are expected to stabilise,” said Shah.
Traders say farmers faced uncertainty with regard to the garlic crop last year, and since the monsoon failed, they are forced to depend on borewells and tanker water supply from the government and panchayats for cultivation. “In a month’s time, new stock from Gujarat and Rajasthan will arrive in Karnataka, bringing down the rates by mid-March. In January, the kilo-wise price of garlic stood to the tune of Rs 150,” reiterated a trader from the APMC.