The new garlic harvest season began in May in Jinxiang, one of China’s major garlic producing areas. While production has been stronger than expected, the market remains under pressure due to increasing supply and a continued trend of rising export volumes alongside declining prices.
“Continuous rain in October last year delayed garlic planting until mid-November. Many in the industry were concerned that the shorter growing cycle would impact production and quality, but the actual harvest has turned out much better than expected,” a Jinxiang grower commented.
According to the Garlic Market Analysis and Early Warning Team of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, favorable winter and spring weather conditions helped mitigate concerns over reduced yields following delayed planting earlier in the season. Strong market returns last year also encouraged planting expansion in major producing areas. Industry reports estimate garlic planting area at 855,000 hectares this season, up 8.0% year on year, while final dry garlic production will be further assessed after storage is completed.
“The new crop has shown relatively strong performance in terms of export specifications,” said Li Ming, Garlic Team Manager at Onedayone Group. “Most of the garlic falls within the 5.0–6.0 size range, making it more suitable for European and Middle Eastern markets.”
As the world’s largest garlic producer and exporter, China accounts for more than 70% of global production and over 80% of global exports. However, the country’s garlic export market continues to face a trend of rising volumes and declining prices. Customs data show that export volume rose 1.4% year on year in 2025, while average export prices fell by 13.6%. With the new crop gradually entering the market, the trend is expected to continue.
“Current market conditions are driving stricter customer expectations around product consistency, residue compliance, and supply reliability,” said Li. “To address this, we continue to strengthen garlic residue testing and quality control, including pre-harvest sampling, cultivation-stage traceability, and pre-shipment quality inspections, to better align with import requirements in different markets.”
