The price of Chinese garlic showed a downward trend last week as fresh garlic from Yunnan entered the market in bulk. Some of the early-season garlic from Henan also entered the market. Domestic consumers have plenty of choice now that preserved garlic is not the only option. Buyers put pressure on the price of preserved garlic, and the lower price limits the trade volume of fresh garlic. The price therefore drops, even though there is strong domestic demand for garlic.
The garlic slice industry has not yet begun operations. The factories can not resume operations until the water treatment issue has been solved. However, even then the garlic slice industry can not operate if the price of garlic is too high, because the production cost of garlic slices is quite high as well, which would lead to an extremely high retail price. The price of garlic was quite high and even though the price is falling, the price still is relatively high.
Source: Shandong Jinxiang Garlic Market