The market for garlic is strong in most areas at the moment, as most nations continue to demand the flavourful bulb. The average price of Kenyan garlic is 289.6 shillings a kilo. The average price for a ton is 311,447.96 shillings in Mombasa and Nairobi.
A spot check at the fresh vegetable market in Nairobi shows that traders are selling one medium-sized garlic at 20 shillings, while a 10kg bag of Generic Fresh Garlic is retailing at 2,529 shillings.
Garlic farming is a lucrative venture with the demand for the crop peaking in the months between May, June, July, August, and September when a kilo cost anywhere between 300 and 400 shillings.
When the demand is stable from December to January, the prices decline to around 150 to 200 shillings per kilo.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that despite the price instabilities, it is unlikely that garlic would fall below 150 shillings per kilo. Under good agricultural practices, an acre of garlic produces between 4000 – 5000 kg.
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The biggest competitor of garlic buyers in Kenya is Egypt. Due to container transportation, Egypt can import more garlic and sell it at a lower price.
But the situation has improved significantly. Garlic buyers in Kenya Merchants changed their strategy. That is wholesale various forms of manufactured garlic products, including peeled garlic, minced garlic, chopped garlic, garlic scapes, and garlic bulbs.
The best-performing markets for Kenya garlic include Somalia, Belarus, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (UK), and Angola.
Even though garlic is a high-worth horticultural plant owing to its attractive returns and high demand in the Kenyan market, not many farmers are involved in the venture due to a lack of knowledge on how to handle its production.
Moreover, some of the farmers growing garlic often end up producing a poor quality crop that is unmarketable. Because of this, approximately 80 percent of the crop found in the Kenyan market comes from China and India.