NILGIRIS: The price of Ooty garlic has plunged to Rs 60 per kilogram from a steep Rs 350 to Rs 400 six months ago. Excess arrival in the market following increased production as well as supply from other parts of the country has been blamed for the low price.
Though the decline in price is good news for garlic consumers from homes to hotels, it is bitter news for the garlic farmers in Nilgiris.
The Ooty variety of garlic is spicier than other varieties.
Last year many farmers had received a good profit from the garlic cultivation, said MLS Prakash, a farmer who has been cultivating garlic on three acres of land at Bembetty and Kadanadu for generations near Ooty told TNIE.
Subsequently, many farmers switched to garlic farming which resulted in excess cultivation this year, and that created a huge supply that brought the price in the market. Moreover, the arrival of a similar garlic variety from Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat at the Mettupalayam market is also a reason for the low price for the Ooty garlic," he added.
S Marappan, a 65-year-old farmer from Kulisolai near Ooty, also concurred that excess production resulted in the price crash.
"We had witnessed a similar drastic fall in garlic price five years ago. In my own grove there has been 500 to 600 kg excess production of garlic. Since we can't store and use the garlic like other products, we have sold it at a lower price at the Mettupalayam market," said Marappan, who has been into garlic farming for the last 20 years. This time I incurred a loss of more than Rs 2 lakh per acre when the overall expenses on lease, cultivation, manure, etc are considered."
M Sivalingam, a farmer from Kannerimanthanai, near Kundha, claimed garlic from China too has hit the market. He cultivates garlic on 1.5 acres on a rotation basis. He has been regularly cultivating garlic as well as carrot and beetroot as they are often found to be remunerative.
"We have got a poor price of Rs 60 only. Usually, the demand for Ooty garlic is huge among the buyers. However, this time, it has changed as many are saying the arrivals are coming from China as well. We are spending huge money for the seed also. We have to plant 600 to 700 kg of big garlic pulp seeds on one acre so that we will get 5,000 kg yield. The yield will increase further during the second season when we start cultivating from the monsoon since the garlic is a water-loving plant," he remarked.