'Price Fluctuations' Garlic Cultivation Area Increases by 10%, Onion Decreases by 2.3%

Since last year, the cultivation area of garlic, whose price has risen, increased by double digits, while the cultivation area of onions, whose price increase was relatively subdued, decreased.

According to the "2023 Garlic and Onion Cultivation Area Survey Results" announced by Statistics Korea on the 27th, this year's garlic cultivation area was 24,710 hectares (ha), a 10.5% increase compared to the previous year (22,362 ha).

The garlic cultivation area decreased for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021 after reaching 28,351 ha in 2018. After the outbreak of COVID-19, the cultivation area shrank, leading to a decrease in production volume. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute's "Garlic and Onion Production Volume Survey Results," last year's garlic production was 290,824 tons, a 12.8% decrease compared to the average year (333,668 tons).

As garlic prices began to recover from last year due to the decrease in production volume, the cultivation area also turned to an increasing trend. The wholesale price of garlic per 1 kg fell to 3,767 won in 2020, then rose to 5,962 won in 2021 and 6,976 won last year. This year, as of the 18th of this month, it rose to 7,020 won.

On the other hand, the cultivation area of onions, which saw a significant price increase after COVID-19, decreased by 2.3% to 17,263 ha compared to last year (17,661 ha). This decline in onion cultivation area is analyzed to be due to factors such as rising labor costs caused by aging.

The average annual wholesale price of onions per 1 kg was 1,071 won in 2020, 1,143 won in 2021, and 1,166 won last year, showing only a slight increase over the past three years.

By province, the garlic cultivation area is in the order of Gyeongnam (7,519 ha), Gyeongbuk (5,208 ha), Jeonnam (4,061 ha), Chungnam (3,573 ha), and Jeju (1,251 ha). The onion cultivation area is in the order of Jeonnam (6,079 ha), Gyeongnam (3,482 ha), Gyeongbuk (2,986 ha), Jeonbuk (1,751 ha), and Jeju (1,035 ha).

원본보기 아이콘

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.