Jaipur: The price of garlic, soaring since Oct, has come down marginally in marketplaces in Jaipur and other parts of the state, thanks to the arrival of the bulbs imported from Afghanistan.
Garlic was being sold between Rs 400 and Rs 600 a kg about a fortnight ago, dampening spirits in most kitchens, but now it has come down to Rs 200 - Rs 350 a kg. Wholesale traders at Muhana Mandi are getting garlic from Delhi, where traders are importing it from Afghanistan.
Despite Rajasthan being the second largest producer of garlic after Madhya Pradesh, its price shot up this year as crops were damaged by heavy rainfall in the prime growing areas of Kota, Baran, Bundi, and Jodhpur, thus reducing production.
"Wholesale traders here are getting garlic imported from Afghanistan via Delhi for the past week. This has improved supply for retailers, and the retail prices, which were nearly Rs 400 to Rs 600 a kg, are now at Rs 200 to Rs 350 a kg. Retailers are now buying garlic by the quintals," said Shiv Shankar Sharma, a wholesale trader at the Muhana Mandi.
With a good harvest of garlic crop expected in the last week of Jan 2025, price is likely to come down by Feb 2025. "By then, the supply would be almost 20 times of that at present. By Feb 2025, the price of garlic would not be more than Rs 150 a kg," said Abdul Sagir, another wholesale trader of onion and garlic.
GFX
Relief likely in Feb
Rajasthan is the country's 2nd largest producer of garlic after MP
Kota division is the largest producer of garlic in Rajasthan
Garlic prices in Rajasthan hovered between Rs 400 and Rs 600 a kg in Oct and Nov
Prices are down to Rs 200 to Rs 350 a kg with the arrival of garlic from Afghanistan
Prices will dip further by Feb 2025 when fresh garlic arrives in local marketplaces