Untimely rains and cloudy atmosphere during the initial period of growth has resulted in a poor yield of garlic for farmers who have started harvesting the crop for the Easter -Vishu seasons.
Garlic is a major crop in Kanthallur and Vattavada with the farmers preferring the high quality Mettupalayam and Singapore varieties that have high clove oil content though the bulbs are small in size.
Moreover, the crop can be kept for a long duration without decay and they are preferred mainly by the pickle industries in Tamil Nadu. The main areas of cultivation in Kanthallur are Puthoor, Narach and Kolachiravayal. Ramakrishna, a farmer at Puthoor, said that there was a considerable drop in production. He said that they sell the produce mainly at Mettupalayam market and a high price was prevailing at present. However, once the produce from farms reaches the market, prices will start falling, he said. “There are only three to six bulbs in a unit where as in the normal case there will be eight to 12 bulbs in a single crop,” he said. As the shape of it is not graded, there will be general lack of interest from traders to buy it.
Murugan, another farmer, said that the prices are at a high in the Mettupalayam market with garlic fetching a price of Rs. 100 to Rs. 150 per kg. However, the prices now prevailing at Kanthallur are Rs.50 to Rs.70 per kg though the produce has not reached the market. Garlic farmers are facing stiff competition from the Chinese variety which has high demand for its large shape, though clove oil content and quality is far below that of the local varieties. Farmers prefer the traditional varieties as they have a long shelf life, said Ganapathiamma, Murugan’s wife.
Though the farmers have started harvesting, it takes at least 10 days for the produce to reach the market. The harvested crops are usually kept on the farms or open field for drying in the sun for three to four days.
Then the leaves are removed and cleaned before it is packed for the market.. Farmers say that Vegetables and Fruits Promotion Council, Kerala (VFPCK) or Horticorp should intervene to sell all the farm produces grown in Kanthallur and Vattavada as it could considerably reduce the exploitation by middlemen.
