Gondal and Rajkot, in Rajkot district of Gujarat, have regulated market yards where Saurashtra farmers sell garlic by daily auction. The rates set there, together with prices in the bigger Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan markets, are the starting point for the price a Gujarat dehydration plant quotes for garlic flakes, granules and powder.
If you understand how fresh garlic is bought, you can read quotes better, time orders more sensibly and tell a fair price change from an opportunistic one.
Garlic in Saurashtra
Garlic is a winter crop in Saurashtra, planted after the monsoon and harvested in early spring. Junagadh Agricultural University has released Gujarat garlic varieties for the state, such as GG-3 and GG-4, and farmers in Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh and nearby districts grow garlic alongside groundnut, cotton and spices. Saurashtra's crop is smaller than the Malwa and Hadoti belts, but it is close to the Gujarat dehydration plants, including the Mahuva cluster.
How the market yards work
Gondal's market yard is one of the busiest in Saurashtra and is particularly known for dry chilli, with garlic, coriander, cumin and other crops also traded. Rajkot's yard is similar, and smaller yards such as Jasdan, Jetpur and Jamnagar also handle garlic. Farmers bring bulbs in bags, market agents arrange the auction, and traders bid lot by lot. Each day's lowest, highest and modal rates are published, and the Agmarknet portal and private mandi apps carry them. Our guides to what an APMC market is and the Unjha, Rajkot and Gondal markets explain the system.
A wide gap between the low and high rate on the same day is normal. It reflects quality: bulb size, clove size, dryness, colour and damage. Dehydration plants usually want well cured, sound bulbs with larger cloves, and they may not buy the cheapest lots.
How fresh prices become your quote
Dehydrated garlic needs several kilos of fresh bulbs for each kilo of finished product, so the fresh price is the largest single cost. A plant's quote also carries peeling labour, fuel for drying, milling, sterilisation if you ask for it, packing, testing and the plant's margin. Of these, fresh garlic moves most, and it can move a lot within a season.
Plants buy across markets. A Gujarat plant may buy at Gondal or Rajkot when local supply is good, and from Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan when those offer better quality or value. So the useful signal is the general direction of rates across the main yards, not one day in one market.
Reading a quote against the market
- Ask what date the quote is based on and how long it is valid. Fresh rates change daily.
- Watch the trend in public yard prices over several weeks. A quote that rises while yard prices fall deserves a question.
- Remember the seasons: after harvest, raw material is plentiful; before the next crop, stock is older and often dearer.
- Agree a specification first. A quote for unsterilised powder and one for steam-sterilised, low-count powder are not comparable.
- For regular volumes, consider booking ahead, as in forward seasonal price booking.
What we do not do
We do not trade garlic and we do not publish prices. Daily mandi rates are public, and a plant's quote is between you and the plant. For a monthly view of market direction, see our dehydrated onion and garlic price update. For onion, the matching story is how fresh onion prices affect dehydrated onion prices.
How we help
We are based in Gujarat and work for you, not the factory. We shortlist dehydrated garlic plants, check that a quote makes sense against current market conditions, test each lot at an NABL-accredited laboratory, supervise loading and check documents, for one written fee agreed in advance. To get a clear view before your next order, book a free sourcing review.