Export surge feeds rise in price of garlic

The price of garlic continued to soar nationwide this month, rising nearly 25 percent over its previous peak price in May, while most other food products also increased in cost, Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

As of Sunday, the average price of garlic reached 14.38 yuan ($2.12) per kg, according to statistics from Xinhua News Agency's national monitoring system of agricultural products.

The price of garlic in North China's Shanxi province has risen by more than 51 percent compared to May, the largest increase in the country, Xinhua reported.

"I only sell several kilograms of garlic a day. Business is not good with the price hike, as restaurant owners buy less to control costs," said Zhao Yali, a 42-year-old garlic dealer, who operates from the Hexi agricultural products wholesale market in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi.

The wholesale price of garlic in the market, the largest in the city, has hit 14 yuan per kg, seven times more than in January, she said.

The retail price of garlic is 20 yuan per kg in the Meetall supermarket in Changfeng street, which is 10 yuan higher than the same period last year, a saleswoman said.

There is a similar situation in the provinces of Hebei, Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu and Hainan, where prices have risen 30 to 42 percent since May.

The price of garlic also exceeded 20 yuan per kg at some markets in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu, where it is more expensive than pork and chicken, the local Yangtze Evening News reported on Monday.

Some customers have reportedly even taken to packaging up the leftover garlic in restaurants, which rarely occurred in the past.

China is the world's largest garlic exporter, followed by Argentina and Spain, and meets three-fourths of the world's demand for garlic.

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