Garlic prices have almost tripled compared with the same period last year as global prices soared because of a shortage in China, the Council of Agriculture said yesterday.
Although imports only account for about 8 percent of the nation’s garlic supply, local farmers have also raised prices in line with the global trend, Agriculture and Food Agency Secretary-General Hsu Han-ching (許漢卿) said.
Soaring global garlic prices were mostly due to lower supplies from China — the world’s largest garlic producer — because of recent bad weather, Hsu said.
“Although the main source of our garlic imports is Argentina, not China, and [imports] accounted for only about 8 percent of the entire garlic supply in Taiwan, local garlic prices still rocketed to about NT$100 [US$3.10] per kilogram this week,” Hsu said.
Garlic was selling at NT$81 per kilogram early this month and NT$30 in the same period last year, Hsu said, adding that the council would closely monitor its price movement.
Garlic import prices were quoted at US$1,850 to US$2,000 per tonne recently, before a NT$27 per kilogram tax is imposed, bringing the cost of imported garlic to NT$90 to NT$95 per kilogram, Hsu said.
Hsu said domestic garlic production, affected by hot weather and rains, was estimated to reach 45,619 tonnes this year — down 8 percent from last year.
The smaller local crop will be supplemented by imports as agreed under the WTO. Argentine garlic usually arrives in Taiwan between October and December.
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