The Bauchi State chapter of the Ginger Growers, Processing and Marketers Association of Nigeria says it has registered some 5,000 farmers who indicated interest to engage in ginger production.
Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed, the coordinator of the programme told Our Correspondent in Bauchi on Friday that the farmers were registered in all the 20 local government areas of the state.
He explained that association’s ginger production programme would begin soon as arrangements had being completed to give farmers seedlings, fertilizers and other needed materials in loan packages.
He added that the programme would provide not less than 20,000 jobs for Bauchi State youths who would benefit from the production chain through farming, processing and marketing.
He said also that the programme could generate between N800 billion and N1.6billion revenue for the state government, hence the need for it to support its full implementation.
He appealed to the state government to provide tractors on a revolving loan basis to members of the association to enable them to cultivate thousands of hectares of farmland with ginger.
The association is still registering more famers to expand production.
Ginger rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely consumed as spice and for its medicinal properties.