MADURAI: The price of malai poondu (hill garlic) has dropped drastically to Rs 150/kg over the past two days in Madurai and Dindigul districts, from Rs 350-400/kg last week. Traders have attributed this massive drop in price to high arrivals of garlic from Maharashtra and Ooty.
Speaking to TNIE, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangam Peravai (Madurai) secretary Mayil Moolaporul said, "In most parts of Madurai city, we can find traders and street hawkers selling malai poondu for just Rs 150/kg. The price was hovering around Rs 420-450/kg earlier, but there were fears about the supply of Chinese garlic. The large-scale arrivals of garlic from Maharashtra and Ooty have turned the tide, leading to a crash in prices.”
The sudden arrival has led to discontent among Kodaikanal farmers, where garlic is planted on over 1,100 acres.
MP Meenakshi Sundaram, a garlic farmer from Kodaikanal said, "There have been huge arrivals from Ooty (Mettupalayam variety) for a week. This garlic variety is different, has a growth period of 90-100 days, is mostly used as seed for growth and has less taste and aroma. But since people cannot easily differentiate between the higher Kodaikanal variety, they buy it. Garlic from Kodaikanal has better taste and flavour, and a growth period of four months. I am helpless about the sudden price drop, as I sold 100 kg of garlic for Rs 38,000 last week.”
An official from the horticulture department (Kodaikanal) told TNIE, "Since Kodaikanal offers the exact climate for garlic, it is grown in villages such as Poomparai, Manavanur, Kookkal, Kundupatti and Kavunji. The plants are grown in two seasons, and owing to the huge demand last year, prices shot to over Rs 500/kg in many places. A few days ago, large-scale arrivals from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Mettupalayam caused the prices to drop, and this volatility is set to continue for a few months. This is not a serious change, and the farmers and traders are used to it.”