The president of the National Garlic Table and the Coopaman second-degree cooperative, Julio Bacete, has stated that the garlic is drying up ahead of time, especially where water is scarce, because of the heat wave there's been these days and the high temperatures in May. The garlic started ripening more than twenty days before expected and some producers are considering starting harvesting it next week. However, according to Bacete, this could lead to a decrease in caliber and, consequently, in the harvest and producers' income.
Even though it's still too early to talk about percentages, especially because not all plots have been affected in the same way, Bacete said that the decrease in bulb calibers alone would result in a nearly 20% decrease in the harvest. The president of the National Garlic Table stressed that there was no possibility of reversing the situation, no matter how temperatures drop; however, he emphasized, the quality of the product won't be affected.
Source - https://www.freshplaza.com