The Nigerian government has unveiled a N1.6 billion support package tailored for ginger farmers across three states and Abuja.
Mohammed Ibrahim, the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), made the announcement during the launch of the Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce Support Initiative held in Kaduna on Wednesday.
This initiative is part of the GRATE package, which stands for Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment.
According to Mr. Ibrahim, approximately 15,000 ginger farmers from Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, and the FCT have been impacted by the recent ginger blight epidemic in the country, coinciding with a period of notable growth in ginger exports.
He highlighted that the National Bureau for Statistics (NBS) documented a substantial increase in revenue from ginger exports, reaching N10 billion in the second quarter of 2023, compared to N4.6 billion in the corresponding period of 2022.
Underscoring the urgency prompted by the epidemic crisis, he reiterated the establishment of the task force.
“In the initial stage, the federal government, through the NADF, is extending support valued at N1.6 billion, commencing with 1-hectare input packs aptly named the GRATE package, an acronym for Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment,” he explained.
He elaborated on the support package for ginger farmers, outlining components such as a 20kg bag of high-yield seed variety, 50kg bags of NPK fertilizer and urea, fungicide, insecticide, herbicide, and post-emergence herbicide.
Expressing enthusiasm for witnessing the resurgence of ginger production in rural areas in the near future, he conveyed the team’s eagerness.
In her remarks, Marian Moon, the Technical Assistant on Agriculture in the Office of the Vice President, underscored the government’s renewed agenda program focusing on agriculture and ginger farming. She emphasized the global demand for Nigerian ginger, highlighting Mexico’s endeavors to cultivate it due to its superior quality. Additionally, she encouraged farmers to ramp up ginger production within the country.
