According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world production of green garlic in 2023 was 28,727,474,06 tons. The top 10 producing countries in the world generate approximately 93% of the global green garlic supply. In 2023, the global green onion crop occupied approximately 2,529,979 hectares.

Source: FAOSTAT, find the data we pulled here.

China is by far the largest producer and consumer of garlic globally, followed distantly by India and other producers in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. In 2023, the U.S. was the 12th largest garlic producer in the world, following Brazil. While consumers in most top consuming countries eat between 1-3 kg of garlic annually per capita, Chinese consumers take in nearly 15 kg on average.

Garlic is in demand in almost every country on Earth, so there is significant global garlic trade representing $3.35 billion USD. China is the top exporter, capturing nearly 2/3rds of the global trade, followed distantly by Spain and Argentina. Indonesia is the largest importer, followed by the U.S., Vietnam, and Malaysia. In terms of trade regions, the vast majority of garlic is both exported and imported within Asia.

Globally, garlic production has been on the rise in recent decades, with both planted acres and average productivity climbing in most regions. Per capita consumption in many parts of the world is also on the rise, including very high rates of increase in Bangladesh and India. Garlic prices have fluctuated substantially from year to year and with season, largely due to adverse conditions that have limited supply in a given region, or due to spikes in demand (by some indications, demand for garlic in North America jumped as high as 70% in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

FIGURE: Global trends in garlic cultivation and production from 2002 to 2022

Growing demand for garlic is closely related to the evolving demographic trends of the global middle class and awareness around the health and culinary benefits of garlic. In addition to existing demand for fresh-market garlic, processed garlic ingredients, and non-nutritional applications (garlic is used as a dietary supplement and in cosmetic applications in some regions), there’s also growing opportunity in the convenience and “ready-to-use” garlic space for products like frozen garlic paste and pre-peeled cloves that are also expected to fuel demand in the future.

Garlic is popular amongst consumers in the U.S., who have nearly more than tripled their per capita garlic consumption since the 1980s. Garlic production in the U.S., however, has remained relatively stable, it’s value peaking in 2022 when the U.S. crop was valued at about $314 million. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated that the crop value totaled about $214 million.

Though there are many regions within the U.S. where some amount of commercial garlic is grown, the department only reports state level data where there are a sufficient number of commercial producers to anonymize sensitive data. Therefore California, where nearly 90% of U.S. garlic is grown, is the only state on which the USDA reports production and price data.

According to USDA’s National Ag Statistic Service (NASS), California producers planted around 25,300 acres of garlic in 2024, down from 28,000 in 2022. The total production for the U.S. in 2024 was estimated to be about 3.654 million cwt, representing a value of $214 million. Both total production and the value of production fell in this time period, along with the average price per hundredweight, which hit a three year low in 2024 of $58.50. Major U.S. growers, including Christopher Ranch, are also dramatically increasing their production of organic garlic, which they report will account for as much as 10% of their production.

According to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture (2022), there are about 992 garlic farms in the U.S. larger than 1 acre, though around 100 account for most of the nation’s production. Garlic grown in the U.S. has two primary destinations, either the fresh market (~30%), where its sold whole as a cooking ingredient, or the processing and dehydration market (~70%), where it is made into garlic powder, flakes, etc. A small portion of U.S. garlic production is dedicated to seed garlic. Vegetables destined for processing applications often fetch a lower price.

The long term trend in garlic consumption is pronounced— with U.S. consumption more than tripling since 1980— and annual changes in per capita consumption tend to be quite small. Today, the most common way U.S. consumers purchase and consume garlic is as a processed ingredient, either as a spice or part of a seasoning blend for home use, or as a flavoring component in processed foods. Fresh garlic consumed at home or through a food service application (i.e. in a restaurant) is the second most common consumption method.

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Varietals

Though all garlic falls into the Allium family, there are hundreds of distinct cultivars that are commonly grown in the U.S. and around the world (many of which, in Europe and Asia, are geographically protected). Commercially, however, a few varieties are by far the most common.

Garlic varieties are usually selected based on marketability, flavor, storability, and susceptibility/resilience to disease. Though different specific varieties might grow best under specific conditions, most garlic grow best in well-drained, fertile soils, and require high levels of fertility.

In addition to different varieties, garlic is commonly distinguished based on two subspecies; hardneck or topset garlic and sativum or softneck garlic. That vast majority of commercially available garlic are softneck varieties, which have the longest shelf life and are adaptable to a variety of conditions.

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Top Garlic Varieties in the U.S.

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Softneck Varieties

The most common softneck varieties grown in California are California Early and California Late. California Early is a white skin variety, planted in late fall (November) for a June harvest, while California Late is purple skinned variety, planted in winter (December). The Early variety is most commonly used in the processing market, whereas the Late variety is more common for the fresh market. Other softneck varieties include Silverskin, Artichoke, Inchelium Red, California White, and Spanish Roja.

Softneck garlic is a versatile product, general known for having a milder, sweeter taste than hardneck alternatives. Softnecks also tend to have more, smaller cloves, and a longer storage life.

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Hardneck Varieties

Though Hardneck varieties are popular for home gardeners and some very small scale commercial growers, they are not commonly planted at scale in California. Common Hardneck varieties include Porcelain, Purple Stripe, Chesnok Red, German White, Polish Hardneck, Persian Star, and Rocambole.

Creole garlic is a unique hardneck variety known for it’s bright purple bulbs and spicy flavor. It is popular in fine culinary applications.

Hardneck varieties are generally favored for their robust, sometimes even spicy flavor, and their flowering stem (called a scape) which can also be eaten. These varieties tend to have success in specialty markets and in fine culinary applications, though they do not store as long as softneck alternatives. Hardneck varieties are also more resilient in cooler climates.

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Other Garlic Types

Pearl garlic or solo garlic is an uncommon garlic type. It’s growth occurs where environmental factors prevent the growing garlic bulb from splitting into multiple cloves. It has the appearance of a small onion and generally has a milder taste than mature garlic.

Black garlic is garlic which has been aged in a warm and moist environment for several weeks. This specialty garlic product has a mild, caramel-like flavor and has become increasingly popular in high-end culinary applications.

Though not technically a true garlic, Elephant Garlic is an Allium that is often marketed alongside garlic. Elephant garlic is milder than true garlic, and can be eaten fresh.

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Other Related Alliums

Some related specialty crops, including leeks and chives, are grown under similar conditions and harvested, stored, and marketed similarly to onions. However, these are highly specialized and niche crops, and there is little publicly available data on production or sales of any of these products in the U.S. currently.

According to one estimate, the global garlic market is expected to reach a value of $35.85 billion USD by 2031 from $21.59 billion USD in 2023, growing at a CAGR of approximately 5.2% CAGR. Demand for garlic around the world is expected to remain steady due to its versatility and general popularity, but price fluctuations related to climatic factors will likely hamper market growth at times.

The value of U.S. garlic production in 2024 was more than $2 billion. which was up from $1.78 billion in 2023. U.S. production is expected to continue apace, baring seasonal fluctuations.

The true addressable market for garlic management technologies will be approximately equal to the cost of labor and other inputs needed to manage and harvest garlic. So to determine the value of a specific technology to the sector, it’s necessary to understand the costs associated with garlic production.

Successful garlic growers oversee a complex production system that requires careful and continuous management over a variety of plant life-stages. Despite being a relatively hardy cool season crop, garlic is still sensitive to weather extremes, pressures related to moisture, nutrients, soil, pests, and can be damaged through handling during and after harvest. Cultivating garlic requires significant planning, labor, and financial outlay.

To gain a more detailed look at the specifics of garlic cultivation, production, and harvest, visit the Onions page of the AgTech Toolkit.

Costs are on the rise for nearly every input to garlic farming, from land costs to labor, fertilizer to equipment. Further up the value-chain as well, costs for post-harvest inputs like storage are also on the rise, further cutting into margins across the sector. Crop prices do not necessarily reflect that steadily increasing cost of production that growers face, and so savvy farmers look for ways to reduce the costs of inputs whenever possible.

Direct costs and accumulating risks around food safety are paramount for fresh produce growers like onion farmers. The fast-evolving food safety regulatory landscape in California in particular has meant farmers have had to work hard to stay on top of compliance and related costs. This can be even more limiting when growers participate in export markets, where they can face high regulatory costs related to environmental, food safety, and tariff restrictions in destination countries.

Additionally, growing consumer skepticism and regulation around the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides have motivated farmers to pursue alternative practices that limit these inputs, which can also lead to increased costs.

Labor has become the focus of interest in reducing costs on farms, especially as costs (both direct and indirect) related to labor continue to rise and growers see increasingly viable solutions to reducing the number of people employed in the field. Increasing labor shortages have added to this incentive, with some growers in the garlic sector moving to raise labor compensation preemptively to remain competitive.

The availability of water is a top concern among most California farmers, especially in water-constrained regions in the southern deserts and Central Valley. Efficient production, and therefore profitability, often comes down to the benefits and costs related to water.

In recent decades, California has suffered a number of significant droughts, many of which have lasted for multiple years. These have led to limitations on surface water access, even for those with the most senior water rights.

Growers have increasingly turned to ground water pumping, though increasingly, issues with land subsidence (the physical sinking of the land due to absence of sub-surface water) and the undermining of other private and municipal wells have led to greater scrutiny and regulation on the use of ground water for agriculture in the state.

Finally, high levels of irrigation can lead to additional challenges, like the build-up of salts in the soil. This can degrade the quality of soils and, when it becomes extreme, can prove toxic to plants and cause yield reductions.

American farmers in particular face stiff competition across the specialty crop space. This is due in large part because of the high cost of labor in the U.S. Spain, Argentina, China, and Mexico each produce and market garlic that compete directly with American supplies for some part of the year.

For the last few decades, growth in U.S. garlic production, especially in California, has leveled off, mostly due to a combination of trade competition and slowing demographic growth. Garlic growers in the U.S. have shown support for increased protectionist measures, like tariffs, to shield them from this competition.

Improving the competitive advantage of U.S. growers in garlic production is a key priority for the industry. Though this is unlikely to be achieved through price competition (which would require dramatic bottom line savings), it is more likely to be achieved by increasing demand for specialty garlic products, including new products like peeled garlic, and by expanding processing applications.

There are opportunities for innovators and technologists to serve garlic growers in this space. Developing and protecting varieties that have high consumer appeal, and helping to build national and global brands around them is one strategy. Pursuing post-harvest technology and food processing tools and techniques that broaden the range of garlic applications is another.

Garlic is susceptible to pests and diseases that can cripple plant health, damage bulbs, and lead to reduced quality and yield, in part because the bulb is hidden from view, and therefore can be more difficult to monitor. The list of insects, weeds, diseases, fungi, and vertebrates that might be a threat to a given onion field is long and will vary substantially based on geography and season. There is significant demand for additional tools to manage pest pressures in onions.

When exploring solutions for growers, care should be taken to avoid increasing opportunity for pests and disease to proliferate throughout the farm, for example, by being transported on equipment. There are several major points throughout the season when growers need to be particularly vigilant about specific pests, and during which only certain kinds of pest control measures are useful, effective, or allowable. Find more information on recommended Integrated Pest Management (IPM) regimes for garlic here.

For more detailed information about Garlic Pests and Disease, visit the Onions page of the AgTech Toolkit.

Climate change and weather are having and will continue to have an impact on garlic production both domestically and globally, though the exact nature of these impacts in any specific region are difficult to accurately predict. In general, garlic is a cool season crop, and soil water content and air temperature can have significant impacts on the quality and quantity of the annual crop.

To learn more about the impact of climate change on garlic production, visit the Onions page of the AgTech Toolkit.