Garlic supply enough to last until March — growers

MANILA, Philippines - Garlic growers yesterday said there is stable supply of the commodity amid clamor by garlic importers for the issuance of import permits.

Jennifer Remoquillo, director of the High Value Crops Development Program of the agriculture department, said during last Friday’s meeting of the National Garlic Action Team (NGAT) that there is enough supply of garlic until March next year to satisfy domestic demand.

Remoquillo said the country currently has a garlic stockpile of 24,750 metric tons that covers the country’s average monthly garlic consumption of 3,416 metric tons until the next harvest. 

“Garlic supply remains stable because of sufficient production and imports that arrived after the last issuance of import permits in 2011,” she said.

NGAT is a consultative body governing the garlic industry composed of representatives from garlic-producing cooperatives, consumer groups, and the government. It is currently chaired by the Itbayat Garlic Producers Multi-Purpose Cooperative and co-chaired by the Onion-Garlic Farmers of Ilocos Norte Multi-Purpose Cooperative and the Bureau of Plant Industry.

It provides policy recommendations for the development of the garlic industry.

Remoquillo said the NGAT is preparing a resolution for submission to Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala recommending the holding of the issuance of new import permits.

“As of our present computation with the NGAT, we have enough supply until March 2014. We will submit a resolution to Secretary Alcala not to allow the issuance of new import permits,” she said.

“There are a lot of importers lobbying for it but we have good production so there is no need for it,” she added.