Commodity System Study of Garlic

Group 1

Belarmino, Maria Alexia

Carpena, Giana Bianca
De Guzman, Glendell
De la Torre, Novie Grace
Guzman, Danielle Lorraine
Tuiza, Roma Felice

Submitted to:

Prof. Jewel Joanna Cabardo

Overview of the Commodity

A. Technical Description
Garlic (Allium sativum) also known as “bawang” for Filipinos, is a perennial herb that
belongs to genus Allium and amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae). It is a bulbous vegetable that is
commonly white or purple in colour made up of a set of thin-shelled cloves that has a strong odour
and taste. It is widely known for its uses in culinary and medicine. It is a good source of manganese,
Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, copper, selenium, phosphorus, Vitamin B1, and calcium. It is believe to
be beneficial especially to those who have heart ailments.
It was believed that garlic is a native of the central part of Asia. The specie that grows wild
in the land of central and south western Asia is known as Allium longicuspis. It was mainly used
for medicinal purposes in Asia, Africa, and Europe for more than 6,000 years. Nowadays, the
common variety of garlic that is cultivated and consumed are the hardneck garlic (Allium sativum
var. ophioscorodon) and softneck garlic (Allium sativum var. sativum), wherein, the one that we
usually see in the supermarkets are what we called the softneck garlic (Rader, H. & McGuinness,
J., 2018).
Garlic grows up to two feet in height and usually planted in cold and dry areas with good
drainage. Its plant has a strong roots, white in color and is consist of 40-60 roots. The root emerge
when temperature is 15 to 25 degree Celsius and grows faster in colder temperature. The root is
attached to the stem and the stem dies before plant is harvested. The plants’ bulb is the major part
used and consumed in a garlic plant. The bulb is usually composed of 0-20 cloves enclosed by a
thin papery sheath. The garlic cloves are the plants enlarged leaves and serves as the plants’ seed
capable of growing another plant.

B. Socio-economic Importance
Garlic is an important herb produced in the Philippines and it is classified as one of the
country's major crops. “Bawang” is commonly used for flavoring food; its leaves can be used as
garnishing, spice and flavoring for human consumption and in manufacturing of food products. It
is also used as a digestive stimulant, diuretic and antispasmodic.
It has been used as a medicine to prevent or treat different diseases. It may be used as herbal
medicine for conditions that are related to the blood and heart (e.g. hypertension). It also has
antifungal and antibacterial properties, which makes it a suitable treatment for infections like
athlete's foot and other fungal diseases.
Garlic can be used as a cash crop. America is said to be the world’s largest import market
of fresh garlic, followed by Indonesia, France and Germany. The Philippines has potential in the
export of garlic, if improved methods and advanced cultural practices can be employed to cultivate
larger quantities.
Garlic may also be used as raw material in the pharmaceutical industry, to produce
supplements which have enteric coatings. Enteric coating is a strategy for the oral delivery of drugs
(e.g. insulin) which rapidly degrade in the stomach. It prevents the drug from being released in the
acidic conditions of the stomach before reaching the intestine.
 In the presence of a good farm site, garlic production does not require a huge start-up
capital. It is less affected by destructive pests and diseases unlike the other vegetables. It does not
require sophisticated storage facility and can be stored up to 12 months after harvest. Because
people nowadays are becoming more and more "health conscious" , there is a fast growing market
for healthier and naturally grown food with environment friendly production and packaging
technology. The firm support from LGUs and NGOs, the presence of more advanced technology
and the increasing efficiency of cargo services, all present opportunities for entry in the garlic
industry.

The Agribusiness Sectors

The Input Sector

Major Inputs Used

● Seeds and Planting Materials
Cloves taken from garlic bulbs by means of asexual reproduction are used wherein
an identical clone of the mother plant is produced. The more suitable planting material
would be the larger bulbs with the larger cloves. The quality of the planting material must
also be considered in such a way they ensure a potential yield, tolerance to pest and
diseases, and successful performance of crop production. The Philippines offer garlic
strains such as Ilocos White, Batanes White, Batangas White, Ilocos Pink, Nueva Ecija
Pink and many more. In the Philippines, Ilocos White is the most commonly planted
variety.

● Agrochemicals
Agrochemicals are chemicals used in agriculture to protect crops and prevent the
damage from pests and diseases. The most common pests that attacks garlic are mites, leaf
miners, wheat curl miners, nematodes and thrips. Weeds are also commonly encountered
by garlic growers since the crop in grown under the mulch.

The Philippines uses herbicides to manage weeds and insecticides to eliminate pests
and lessen the damages they could bring. Some of the commonly used herbicides in the
country are chemical 2,4-D and MCPA. Garlic growers also consider the time of planting
because there are seasons that indicate the presence of some pests. Integral pest
management is essential to ensure that food security is attained along with the aim in
increasing food production.

● Fertilizers
The application of fertilizer is essential for it stabilizes the soil fertility and supplies
nutrients needed by the plants. Garlic growers must first perform a soil test and decide
whether to use organic or inorganic fertilizers. This is to determine what is the most suitable
fertilizer to apply.

Despite having general fertilizer recommendation for those can’t undergo soil
analysis for their garlic farms, farmers all over the county use different fertilizers. In the
Ilocos region, they follow the provincial recommendations by using complete fertilizer (14-
 14-14) that is applied before planting and urea (46-0-0) is applied at early bulb formation.
Garlic growers in the Philippines use organic fertilizers such as compost is proven to be
more effective in the success of garlic production.

● Agricultural Machineries and Equipments

Agricultural machineries have helped garlic growers lessen their labor and make
processes effective and efficient. There are a lot of processes involved in the production of
garlic such as land preparation, mulching, fertilization, marketing and many more. With
the aid of machineries, tools and equipments, labor have been made easier and it is more
applicable.

Garlic farms in the Philippines have acquired tractors to help them in plowing and
a lot of farmers still uses animals in tasks such as transport, carrying and many more. There
are also housing facilities or warehouses that are used in storing the commodity and where
the tools and equipments are placed. Some of these farmers own jeepneys, trucks, or
tricycle to help them distribute it to their right designation.

● Irrigation
Irrigation plays a vital role in the plantation of crops since it is responsible for the
water taken up by the plants. The three system of irrigation present in our country are as
follows: the national irrigation system, communal irrigation systems, and the private
irrigation systems. (National Irrigation Administration, 2017) Garlic farmers must ensure
that the commodity have taken their water requirement for them to have a god harvest.

● Agricultural Labor
Garlic growers put a lot of effort in assuring that all processes involved from
acquiring all the inputs up until it is being distributed in the markets. There must always be
laborers who are incharge in farm operations, manages the land, and facilitates the
distribution and sales, and many more.

Volume Consumption and Prices of Inputs

The production of garlic (Allium sativum), with its most common local variety known as
Ilocos white, has decreased from 2011 to 2016 with approximately nine hundred metric tons in
2011, to only 750 metric tons in 2016. However, with the assistance of the Department of
Agriculture, there was an increase in the area planted in 2018 in Central Luzon and Western
Visayas through the provision of planting materials by the DA-Regional Field Office through the
local government units, which has increased garlic production for the second quarter of 2018 with
723.25 metric tons of produce. This was 0.5 percent greater than that of 2017, with only 719.53
metric tons according to the Major Vegetables and Root Crops Quarterly Bulletin of the Philippine
Statistics Authority from April to June 2018.
In relation with the volume consumption of garlic, the per capita consumption of the
commodity is estimated to be 1.26 kilograms per year or about 128 thousand metric tons per year
based on the 2015-2016 Survey of Food Demand for Agricultural Commodities, conducted
nationwide. It was found to be the lowest per capita consumption, as compared to the 2009 and
2012 data of 1.30 and 1.40 kilograms respectively. Furthermore, the Philippines can only produce
about 750 metric tons of garlic annually and approximately 6000 metric tons of the commodity is
dependent on imports. It is very evident that the local garlic industry cannot deal effectively with
the relatively high demand for the commodity. And with the current situation on the production of
garlic, the country can only meet up to 14 percent of its local demand. The reason why the country
mostly rely on imports primarily from countries like China and India is in order for the country to
meet this increasing demand.
Sources of Inputs

● Seeds and Planting Materials

Garlic farmers in the Philippines get their source of seeds and planting materials
through various methods. Because garlic’s means of production is asexual, 40.22 percent
of the farmers get their source of quality planting materials such as big cloves from their
previous harvest, around 24 percent of the farmers get their seeds from Department of
Agriculture/Regional Field Unit (DA/RFU) and Local Government Unit (LGU), and some
obtain it through traders and input dealers.

Source: Costs and returns of garlic production, DA, BAS

● Fertilizers and Agrochemicals
Although there is a growing demand for agrochemicals and fertilizers, the
government still lack support despite its importance to the agricultural industry. As a result,
the Philippine fertilizer and agrochemical industry is highly dependent on other countries
in supplying the inputs for production. Most of the raw materials used for producing
inorganic fertilizer and agrochemicals such as pesticides, are imported in other countries
before reaching the garlic farmers since the Philippines does not have enough tools and
equipment in producing their own.

● Agricultural Machineries and Equipments

The Philippine agricultural machineries and equipments import the machines and
equipments from other country before reaching the garlic farmers and producers.

● Agricultural Labor
The sources of labor of garlic industry is that the bulk of labor input provided by
hired labor is at 99.61 mandays per hectare while the operator and family labor contributed
63.78 mandays and 44.07 mandays per hectare, respectively.
Source: Costs and returns of garlic production, DA, BAS
Problems and Prospects in the Sector

Problems

The input sector of a commodity is very important as it is the first subsystem of the
framework of this analysis and it is where the raw materials of the end-products come from. This
may also serve as basis for productivity and competitiveness. The garlic industry, just like any
other industries, faces problems from time to time which later on can affect the present and future
of the said industry. Of course, the input sector is not an exception in these kind of problems.
According to a dialogue by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) held on the 9th of
November 2017, 94% of the supply of garlic are imported from foreign markets, which means that
only 6% are produced locally. Smuggled and cheap garlic have also entered our country. Because
of this heavy importation, local prices of garlic have dropped which then caused losses for the
local farmers. It has also been reported that there is a lack of quality seedlings and this affected the
local farmers' volume of production. In terms of agricultural machineries and equipment, there is
a lack of new production technology which in turn, affects the local production. Another problem
that the garlic industry is facing are the plant diseases which cause damages in the planting
materials, since garlic is planted through the use of its cloves. Lastly, it has been reported in the
dialogue that the prolonged rainy seasons in the recent years have greatly affected the industry
every planting season.

Prospects

As of 2017, our country is still reported to be heavily dependent on garlic importation.

According to Jayson Cainglet, the executive director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura
(SINAG), the first thing to do is to stop importing garlic from foreign markets since it becomes a
hindrance to produce our own. He encouraged the government to focus more on local production
and asked them to help the industry by giving the right seeds, establishing post-production facilities
(e.g. storage), and investing on laboratory research and development. The facilities itself will
already need 700M allocation, so to help the local garlic industry, a huge budget is clearly needed.
Meanwhile, the Institute of Plant Breeding in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
had already made an effort to revive the garlic production in our country. IPB-UPLB had started
to help boost the garlic production through tissue culture and mass propagation of the planting
materials. The good news is that these virus-free planting materials have already helped in
increasing the local production specifically in Ilocos Region and MIMAROPA as reported last
July 2017.

References:

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2014). Cost & Returns of Garlic Production. Retrieved from
https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/2013%20CRS%20Garlic%20Report.pdf

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2015, December). Major Crops Statistics of the Philippines.
Retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/MajorCrops10-14.pdf
DAR Conducts Dialogue To Revitalize Garlic, Onion Industry In Ilocos Region. (2017, November
13). Retrieved from http://www.dar.gov.ph/national-news/3126-dar-conducts-dialogue-to-
revitalize-garlic-onion-industry-in-ilocos-region2

Miraflor, M.B. (2017, July 18). PH to remain dependent on imported garlic. Retrieved from
https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/manila-bulletin/20170718/282059097050477

Aguiba, M.M. (2017, July 28). PHILIPPINES TO REVIVE GARLIC PRODUCTION AS PLANT
BREEDERS USE TISSUE CULTURE TO BOOST GARLIC PRODUCTION. Retrieved from
https://noonbreakbalita.com/2017/8658/philippines-to-revive-garlic-production-as-plant-
breeders-use-tissue-culture-to-boost-garlic-production/

Rader, H. and McGuiness, J. (2018). Growing Garlic in Alaska. Retrieved from

https://www.uaf.edu/ces/garlic/#sthash.VQgNDQkP.dpbs

Business Diary Ph. (2018). Garlic production guide. Retreived from

https://businessdiary.com.ph/2617/garlic-production-guide/

Greenwood, B. (2016, November 09). What Type of Work Is Done on a Farm? Retrieved from
https://work.chron.com/type-work-done-farm-31146.html

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nia.gov.ph/?q=irrigation-development

(n.d.). Garlic plant structure. Retrieved from https://garlicmatters.com/what-is-garlic/garlic-plant-

structure/