The situation of Italian garlic has remained complicated due to the large amount of produce that was damaged by rain. The precipitations and high humidity level in mid-May in fact caused serious quality problems.
"Currently all traders are rushing to source garlic that has a good or at least acceptable quality. Prices of course are on the up, but only the produce that has maintained a good quality reaches high quotations," reports Antonio Tuccillo, administrator at Agrimpex Farming.
Italian garlic
"This means the imported produce is coming not only from traditional origins such as China, but also from Egypt and Turkey, which normally would not be considered. Turkey in fact does not process the produce well and does not follow our markets' standards all the time, although it has improved its seeds. Egyptian garlic is of the purple type, but the quality is lower, similar to that of purple garlic from Mexico or early garlic from Taiwan, with irregular bulbs. It is processed well, but the number of cloves per bulb is always high."
Turkish garlic
"It has been a complicated year all over Europe. Spain has also had to deal with the damage caused by the rain. This has caused serious problems for retail chain suppliers, which have found it difficult to maintain the quality and grade standards established by the contract. We are already eyeing up the next South American productions hoping they will be of good quality."
Photos provided by Antonio Tuccillo