Improving garlic production
Those who refuse to take it raw because of its strong smell and pungency, take it in the deodorized form in gelatinous capsules or without it.
Garlic grows better in warm areas in sandy-loamy soils with fertility and good drainage. Individual cloves are separated and hand planted one inch deep and four inches apart on ridges and flat seedbeds, although it adds to labour-hours per hectare. Hand-planting is a preferred method, as in machine-planting cloves are not evenly distributed.
Bulbs are ready for harvest, when plants start showing signs of turning yellow and drying. Plants are pulled by hands and are left in the field for a week or so to dry. Bulbs are also braided by some growers with stalks and hung in a dry and airy place.
Season: Garlic, as said before, is a warm season plant. Although it is a small crop in Pakistan, it is cultivated throughout the country. The October-sown crop in Punjab is harvested in April.
The October – November sowing in Sindh is ready for harvest in March. November-December crop in the NWFP is ready between April to June. In Balochistan, the October-November sowing is between April and May.
Varieties: Indigenous varieties are usually small-bulbs. Their cloves are not easily peeled and are hurt in the process. Kerosene oil is often used for peeling the membrane but it leaves its smell on the product.
Bulbs of the exotic varieties are easy to strip of their membrane without any loss to the cloves. Mention may be made of a Chinese garlic that is being sold in the local markets and has an edge over our varieties. The breeding work of garlic at home needs to be geared up to evolve comparable varieties to satisfy the increasing demand for better varieties.
Production: The province-wise production figures of garlic for the last five-years (1999-00 to 2003-04) are as follows:
On five-years average basis, NWFP has contributed 40 per cent of the total production, Punjab 39 per cent and Sindh 16 per cent. Balochistan’s share, however, is not more than five per cent of the country’s total production.
The production in Sindh has shown a decline from 2001-02 to 2003-04 though Sindh and Balochistan show a potential for further increase in production.
Chemical composition: In addition to carbohydrates and calcium, garlic also supplies iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacine and Vitamin-C. Garlic also contains a volatile oil ‘glucokinis’ and several other minerals including germanium and selenium.
Medical benefits: Garlic has disinfecting properties and was used in World War I to dress up the soldiers’ wounds. It helps reduce the risk of heart diseases and keeps cholesterol at permissible levels. It is diuretic and is given in hysteria, flatulence and sciatica. It removes hoarseness of throat and disorders of chest and lungs.
Its juice is anthelmintic and is given in dose of 10-30 drops. Externally, it is used as a rublacient and vesicant. A clove is burnt in oil and the oil on getting cool is used in ear-ache.
Raw garlic juice cures common cold, cough and pulmonary tuberculosis. As an anti-oxidant, garlic keeps blood thin thereby reducing the risk of blood clots and stroke.
Theurapetic findings indicate that use of garlic reduces risks of stomach and colon cancer. It is also applied on ringworms. It boosts immunity with hordes of other health benefits.
Other uses: Garlic is used by rich and the poor alike to flavour pulse, meat and vegetable dishes. In Indo-Pakistan, it is an important ingredient of ‘mixed pickles’, ‘achars’ and ‘chutnies’. It is universally used for making ‘garlic bread’. Its repulsive smell is due to the presence of a compound ‘allyl – propyl – disulphide (C6-H12-S2).
Some housewives keep the garlic cloves immersed in water overnight and water takes away its smell. According to some cookery books, garlic odour on the breath can also be largely removed by subsequently chewing a few springs of parsley or mint.
Garlic is ordinarily sold at Rs80 a kg. In some seasons, its retail price goes up to Rs100 or a little more. Yet, it is the cheapest source to prevent life-threatening diseases like heart diseases, cancer, tuberculosis, hypertension etc. Its excessive use is, however, not advisable.
The authorities consider 2-3 cloves-a-day is all right, which is not difficult for anyone to eat, if it can keep the doctor away. One to three cloves of raw garlic can be chopped into small pieces and mixed with carrots, onion, tomatoes, celery etc to make a good bowl of ‘salad’, which makes it easy to take with meals.
If we can boost the cultivation of garlic, the country can also export it with other condiments and spices.