Delta loses out in Nigeria’s N26bn annual ginger export market

…We can make N240m per year if funded – Farmers

Despite efforts by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to push South-South farmers, especially Delta State farmers into the ginger production and export market, Delta State is seen to have missed out in Nigeria’s N26 billion annual ginger export value.

This is said to be because of zero funding from either the State or Federal Government to over 1,000 ginger farmers in Delta State, who have for three years missed out on N240 million per year projected revenue from their proposed farm size.

The global ginger market, valued at about $6 billion, is projected to almost $10 billion by 2034 due to expanding food and beverage sectors, traditional medicine, and demand for functional health supplements.

Nigeria is expected to cash out in this growth, being the world’s top three ginger producing nation.

Nigeria’s local market size is valued at about $55 million, while the industry remains a multi-billion dollar opportunity, due to massive export potential.

Ginger farmers in Delta State say they would be satisfied targeting the local market.

Northern Nigeria, which has been hub of ginger production is said to be suffering a huge decline of about 74% due to a blight caused by repeated chemical fertilizer application, land exhaustion and insecurity.

The South has however failed to move in and exploit the opportunity despite evidence that ginger can do well in the zone, according to an experiment conducted in Rivers State few years back.

It was found that ginger from the South and East have more spice and bite, and thus of more demand, according to scientists from the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) who have fabricated various machines for local processing.

The Delta State Ginger Farmers Association told BusinessDay that two tons of ginger is needed to plant one hectare of land; that is 40 bags of 50kg of ginger bought at market price of N600,000 by 40, which is N24 million spent in cultivating a hectare of ginger farm per season of nine months.

Read also: Delta ginger farmers knock Govt for paying lip service to non-oil sector

According to Harrison Oppiah, the State Chairman, “Now, harvesting the ginger, the yield per hectare is minimum of 20 tons, which is 400 bags. If you sell at the same price of N600,000 a bag, it will give you N240million. If help had come, by now, we should have had at least 2,000 hectares of land cultivated, because we operated a model – cluster farming, where all farmers would be in one place. It’s a critical crop, where standard and best practices would be followed.”

The ginger farmers have recounted how they have been losing huge revenue yearly, due to lack of funding support and some apparent neglect, by both Federal and State Governments in non-oil sector, especially agriculture and the value chain.

Oppiah admitted that the Delta State Government had been supportive to the association, by enabling them to process their produce at the State owned processing plant at Agro Processing Zone at Kwale.

They however noted that the State had not done well in providing them with funding.

Expectations were rife in recent years that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), would support farmers in the South, as it had supported those in the North, but all such hopes have since been dashed.

Had help come, by their calculation, they would have been planting 2,000 hectares of ginger by now, garnering massive revenue yearly from ginger production and processing since 2023 when the association was inaugurated in the state.

That has however been impossible, due to lack of funding and neglect of the sector by both State and Federal Governments.

Experts said that Delta State and the entire South-South have arable and fertile land; there are farmers and processors, but they are said to be constrained by funding as Governments at all levels are said to have continued to focus more on politics rather than developing the agricultural sector.

Oppiah, commended the Delta State Government, but cried out for funding for the State’s Chapter of the Ginger Association of Nigeria (GAN).

It was gathered that the Ginger Association had done mobilisation, registration of members, training, and land mobilisation. Now, the funding has failed to come. “All efforts we’ve made for Government to take advantage of ginger blight in the north to develop ginger in Delta State and the south have failed.”

Oppiah recalled that it is three years since the Association was inaugurated in Delta State and South-South by the national body to contribute to the development of ginger for local consumption and export.

He said that the vision is far from being realised, as the over 1,000 members of the association could only boast of individually farming just a plot or a garden of ginger. Some plant at their backyards, he added, saying ginger farming in Delta State is still in small-scale.

He went on: “We’ve not been able to meet local consumption let alone exporting the commodity. We are unable to contribute to the State Domestic Product (SDP) of our state and gross domestic product (GDP) of our country.

“Both Federal and State governments need to pay more attention to agricultural sector, especially to ginger farming.”

According to Oppiah, many expected southern states to take advantage of the ginger blight in the north to develop ginger as a commodity in the South, but nothing has been done.

“Some of us are processing ginger to powder, some to juice, tea and drinks and all that. Members are financially constrained, because to get ginger seed to plant is expensive as a bag of 50kg is selling at over N600,000. Therefore, we have not done it in commercial levels, because of the cost implication,” Oppiah explained.

He said that efforts made to access funds from commercial banks have also plunged the association into huge debts arising from fees needed in processing collateral and other matters, which ended up as a waste.

Oppiah said that Delta chapter had to domicile it’s own ginger and tumeric association with a Cooperative in 2024.

From seeking N1billion loan for ginger farmers in the state, Oppiah appealed to the state government to kindly intervene and support them with at least N200 million.

He assured that such loan would be paid back after just one season of farming, because there would be more profit to sustain members’ businesses, as local market alone is able buy off the commodity.

He also called on investors to come to their aid and provide the funding, while the farmers would provide expertise.

“Delta State is supposed to be a ginger hub. Even the national body observed that, and stated that the state and South-South Zone should be hub for ginger export but till date, access to funds remains a big challenge.

“In this country, Nigeria, everything the leaders are doing as regards to ‘Non-Oil Export and Agriculture’ has ended in expectation. They are not looking the way of the right people they should push resources to.

“Delta State has arable and fertile soil good for ginger but funding attention has not been directed in this direction. The state government and whoever is hearing my voice should give me N200 million for my association, then watch and see what we will produce in one year, on ginger.

“Let’s forget about export for now and talk about the local market. In the north today, there is ginger blight and Federal Government sent people there to find out what affected the ginger. It was discovered that it was just longtime use of the soil and chemical fertilizers, because they did all those things to improve the soil.

“If you want to cultivate organic ginger without fertilizer, come to the south. I don’t need it in my soil. What I need is my local manure mixed with the soil.

“Ginger root sent to the soil by March sprouts up with the rain and grows and matures in maximum of nine months. I don’t need irrigation, except I want to plant all year round including in dry season. It’s so fantastic over here.

He lamented: “The reason the economy is not booming is because people are not producing anything. They only collect money from the government, put in their pockets, buy cars and build houses.”

He said that if such money could find its way into proper agricultural practice, they would produce something and make profit, pay tax and that is how the economy should boom, Oppiah concluded.