Shundi's 2026 Garlic Season Outlook: Where Is the Market Headed

At the end of May, the Shundi team traveled to China’s main garlic-growing regions across Shandong, Henan, and Hebei provinces, observing the field harvest, fresh garlic trading, and storage conditions on the ground. 

Based on what we've seen so far, the garlic planting area for 2025 has increased by more than 10% compared to the year before. Although higher-than-usual rainfall during the growing period had some impact on per-hectare yields, the expanded acreage has still resulted in a year-on-year increase in total output, creating a market surplus. As a result, the purchase price for new-season fresh garlic has dropped noticeably compared to the same period last year. For downstream processors, this also means more room to adjust prices for dried garlic products in the coming months.

Garlic is a classic winter crop. Sowing typically takes place from around the autumn equinox to early October. After growing slowly through the cold winter, the plants surge back into rapid growth as temperatures rise in spring. From April to May, garlic begins to produce scapes. Once the scapes are harvested, the plant channels more nutrients to the underground bulbs, causing them to expand quickly. About two weeks after scape harvest, the garlic bulbs are ready. Freshly harvested garlic is first dried briefly in the field, then sorted and bagged and left to air-dry naturally to reduce moisture further. After one to two months of natural drying, the garlic is moved into cold storage.

Garlic has a natural physiological cycle. Following summer dormancy, it typically starts sprouting around August. Once sprouting begins, both its processing value and commercial value drop significantly. For products like garlic powder and granules, raw material freshness is critical. Sprouted garlic not only looks and performs worse, but it also affects the flavor and color of the final product. That’s why the annual new-garlic season is a key window for food processors to stock up on high-quality raw materials.

Currently, new-season garlic slices have not yet entered the market in large volumes. Due to factors such as existing inventory, futures orders, and storage costs, the current prices of dried garlic products have not yet fully reflected the drop in fresh garlic prices. Once new-season raw materials gradually move into processing and sales channels after mid-June, the market is expected to see a fresh round of price adjustments. Industry consensus is that dried garlic product prices are likely to move lower in the coming period.

Shundi is a professional producer of dried food ingredients. We maintain our own garlic farms and have years of processing experience backed by modern facilities. We'll continue to monitor market and price movements and share the latest updates.