Spanish garlic meets greedy market

Due to the limited garlic harvest in the main production country China, the first amounts of Spanish garlic hit a very welcoming market. The early cultivation from Andalusia is as good as sold for relatively high prices, reports the German Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI). 
In Spain the cultivation area has increased this season by 10-15%. Due to the strong frost in winter and drought there were losses of almost the same size, which means a harvest comparable to last years is expected. According to official figures the cultivation area in Spain was 15,545 hectares in 2011, and the production was 141,700 tonnes of garlic. The Spanish export was 60,000 tonnes of garlic in 2011, 7% less than the year before. The main destination was Italy, followed by France, Great-Britain and Germany.According to press the Chinese garlic would be 25-30% smaller in season 2012/2013 than the previous season. But this is comparing two extreme years. Last year was an exceptionally good harvest.