EU: Garlic prices fall by almost 60%

The garlic contact group of the Spanish-French-Italian Joint Committee for Fruit and Vegetables confirmed problems in the European market derived from prices falling by 50 to 60% compared to last season, in addition to other issues affecting the product's quality caused by a disease called waxy breakdown. Consumption has also dropped as a result of the economic recession.

The group analysed the growing problem of waxy breakdown, which has an impact on the product's quality, especially in white garlic, making it unsuitable for consumption. The origin is still unknown and is being investigated by several academic and research centres, such as the Technical University of Madrid.

According to the president of Mesa Nacional del Ajo and spokesperson of Cooperativas C-LM, Julio Bacete, "in France and Italy the level of impact of the illness has been checked and analysed, arriving to the conclusion that it affects the white varieties in periods of high temperatures, and that during the drying process, the use of temperatures below 25º lessens the disease's incidence. The three countries have agreed to join efforts in matters of research."

Source: Eldiadigital.es