Garlic demand on the rise

The boom in home cooking has boosted the demand for garlic, and volume increases show suppliers are up to the challenge.

Import volume in the U.S. for the first half of 2020 is up nearly double from two years ago, and reports from California say growers there plan to pack and ship as much as they can as the season gets under way.

Garlic: Total Volume Comparison Period of January – June, 2018 – 2020

We can observe from the graph that garlic volume for the last three years has been on the rise, said David Wilson, Sales Director, Shipper and Grower Category, for Agtools Inc.

Blue Book has teamed with Agtools Inc., the data analytic service for the produce industry, to look at a handful of crops and how they’re adjusting in the market during the pandemic.

The Green line is the 2018 volume January through June, with a total of 43 million pounds. Volume grew in 2019 with the red line, 30 percent vs. 2018, with 2019 having a total of 56 million pounds. In 2020 blue line, the volume exceeds all expectations and it is up 93 percent vs. 2018 and 48 percent vs. 2019.

Americans are consuming Garlic more and more each year, Wilson said.

Garlic Volume Top 4 Countries into the USA market: China, Mexico, Spain and Argentina January-June 2020

In 2020 we have the top four countries in terms of volume for Garlic exported to the USA market. China is first with 24.9 million pounds in yellow; Mexico second with 21.6 million pounds in Blue; Spain third with 18.8 million pounds; and Argentina 4th with 12.4 million pounds.

We can clearly observe that Mexico’s volume ramps up in April, and it has now surpassed all countries since the beginning of May, Wilson said.

Los Angeles Terminal Garlic Price 30-lb. Origin Mexico

We can observe that the price of garlic for the last year in Los Angeles coming from Mexico, has considerably increased from prices of $50 to more than $100 per carton, he said.

Garlic Retail Price Northeast per Lb.

We can observe that the garlic retail price per pound for the last year in the Northeast has increased from $3 to $5 in April and has decreased to $4 in late June, Wilson said.

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