Farmers in Kanthallur, where cool season vegetables are largely cultivated, has largely shifted to garlic cultivation citing problems in marketing and low prices for traditionally cultivated vegetables such as potato, cabbage, beetroot, and carrot.
As per the estimate of the Kanthallur Krishibhavan, about 100 hectares of land is under garlic cultivation. Kanthallur Agriculture Officer Murugan told The Hindu on Monday that there was a major shift to garlic as its price had gone up the last season. Most farmers who cultivated potato had shifted to garlic as there was a slump in the potato price following a bumper production in the last season. Potato used to be the main crop in Kanthallur. Areas under grantis cultivation were brought under potato cultivation through a government project.
Farmers mainly cultivate the Mettupalayam variety of garlic, which, though small, is of high quality. Mr. Murugan said the farmers sold it at the Vadukapatti garlic market in Tamil Nadu, for want of a selling space in the State.
The present price for garlic is around 200 per kilogram.
The growth period for garlic is three months and Kanthallur is all set to start the harvest within two weeks, said P.T. Mohandas, a farmer and president of the Kanthallur Cool-Season Vegetable Marketing Society. He said the sale was brisk in Vadukapatti market and farmers were enthused with the high price in recent times. Garlic from Vadukapatti is mainly used in pickle production centres and Kanthallur garlic has an upper hand in terms of price.
Mr. Mohandas said that unlike other vegetables, farmers can keep the garlic dried for three months.
Newly harvested garlic can be sold on the spot too, he said.
Enquiries from agents of the Vadukapatti market have poured in with the harvesting season nearing, he said.
