Indore, and much of Madhya Pradesh, contribute over 63 per cent of India’s total output of garlic. Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE
Agriculture

The garlic fields of Indore

Madhya Pradesh, where Indore is located, is India’s premier garlic-producing state

Vikas Choudhary

Indore, and indeed much of Madhya Pradesh, is known for the fine quality of garlic that it produces. Madhya Pradesh contributes over 63 per cent of the nation’s total output.

Across Madhya Pradesh, Mandsaur, Neemuch, and Ratlam have emerged as key hubs of cultivating garlic. These areas have all the conditions required for cultivating good quality garlic: fertile loamy, well-drained soil, and moderate temperatures.

In Indore, garlic is mostly grown in the Rabi season lasting from mid-October to mid-November.

In and around Indore, garlic is mostly grown in the Rabi season lasting from mid-October to mid-November.

Localised, professional contract farming is available in Indore, supporting farmers with seed supply and buyback agreements for varieties that suit the region.

The crop has certainly brought rich dividends to farmers in Indore and the rest of the state.

Garlic cultivation in Indore and Madhya Pradesh has emerged as a critical economic driver for local farmers.