Garlic farmers in Haveri hit hard as prices crash and rains ruin crops

Haveri: Farmers in Haveri district, who just a year ago reaped handsome profits from garlic cultivation, are now staring at financial ruin. Last year, garlic fetched between ₹30,000 and ₹40,000 per quintal, and with yields of 7–9 quintals per acre, growers earned up to two lakh rupees in profit. Encouraged by those returns, many farmers, particularly in Ranebennur taluk, expanded garlic cultivation this season at the cost of other crops.

However, their hopes have been dashed as prices have collapsed. In the current season, garlic is fetching only ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 per quintal in the markets—a fraction of last year’s price. With such steep decline, hundreds of farmers across villages like Erekoppi, Magod, Halageri, and Itagi have been left in distress.

Adding to their woes, incessant rainfall has damaged the crop. Farmers explained that garlic requires a balance of timely showers followed by sunshine. This year, continuous and heavy rains caused garlic bulbs to rot in the soil. Even after harvesting, attempts to dry the bulbs were hampered by unrelenting downpours, leaving much of the produce unsellable.

“Last year garlic saved us, this year it has pushed us into debt,” said Shankarappa, a farmer from Magod. “We spent nearly ₹30,000 to ₹40,000 per acre on cultivation. But the crop has rotted, and buyers are offering only ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 per quintal. We cannot even recover our investment.”

Farmers say the crash has left them wondering how to repay loans and support their families. “We have children studying, households to run, and loans to repay. With these prices, we don’t know how to manage,” lamented another grower from Erekoppi.

Local farmer groups are urging government intervention to stabilize prices and provide compensation for weather-related losses. They fear that without immediate relief, many cultivators may be forced to abandon garlic farming altogether.

What was once considered a profitable cash crop has now turned into a source of despair. For hundreds of families in Haveri’s Ranebennur belt, garlic cultivation this year has left them with empty pockets and growing anxiety about their future.