ABSTRACT
Seasonal and cyclical fluetuations in prices and volumes in the wholesale garlic market of Santiago

Arturo Campos M.1, Gastón Bruna D.2 y Jimena Bravo C.3
 

Garlic is an important horticultural commodity in Chile, since it is grown mostly by small growers and because it requires a large number of workers/ha. Also, it is a traditional export producto Because of a large proportion of garlic is marketed in the country, the purpose of this study was to find out the relationships between internal and external variables, with both prices and quantities marketed Santiago. From national and international data, it was possible to infer that local wholesale market quantities are determined by quantities exported and domestic prices, both of them lagged in one periodo Prices showed structural differences when referred to annual or monthly basis. In the first case, prices are positively related to export prices and negatively to volumes exported. Monthly prices are negatively related to volume marketed and positively to prices, in previous month. The seasonal study showed that there are significant differences in both prices and quantities marketed through the year. Finally, cyclical fluctuations seem to occur in three years cycies for prices and in two and a half years cycles, for volumes.

Keywords:
1 Estación Experimental La Platina (INIA), Casilla 439, Correo 3, Santiago, Chile.
2 Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 1004, Santiago, Chile.
3 Ingeniero Agrónomo. Actividad privada