Nigeria is targeting annual ginger production of three million tonnes within five years, as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to revive the industry following a devastating disease outbreak that destroyed about 90% of production.
In Southern Kaduna, one of Nigeria’s major ginger-producing regions, the National Ginger Revitalisation Programme is helping thousands of farmers rebuild their farms and strengthen the country’s position in the international ginger market.
For generations, ginger farming has provided livelihoods for families in Southern Kaduna. But in 2023, an outbreak of ginger blight changed the fortunes of many households.
The disease devastated farms, leaving farmers with damaged crops, lost investments and uncertainty about the next planting season.
According to industry stakeholders, the outbreak destroyed between 80 and 90% of Nigeria’s ginger crop, severely affecting a commodity that had been among the country’s leading non-oil export products.
Farmers like Blessing Ali, who depend on ginger for their livelihood, struggled at first to resume cultivation. However, with the Federal Government National Ginger Revitalisation Programme through the Bank of Agriculture, BOA, recovery efforts have gained momentum.
The programme has supplied over 3,000 farmers across 15 clusters with ginger rhizomes, supported by fertiliser from the Kaduna State Government, an intervention that has resulted in increased yields.
During a visit to participating farms in Kachia, the BOA Managing Director, Ayodeji Sotinrin, said production has recovered to about 30% of its previous level.
He noted that the intervention aims to expand ginger production into additional states, with a five-year target of raising Nigeria’s annual output to three million tonnes.
For ginger farmers beginning to see healthy crops in their fields again, the recovery effort offers renewed hope that the industry can regain its place in Nigeria’s agricultural economy.
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(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
