BEIJINg - The government on Friday said it would take steps to check speculation and rampant price hikes in garlic and other agricultural commodities.

Wholesale prices of garlic have risen more than ten-fold from a year earlier to about 12.2 yuan ($ 1.78) per kilogram at the end of April, sources with the National Bureau of Statistics said.

Several investigation teams have already been dispatched to the major production zones and markets to study factors like output, supply, flow and price change of commodities, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).