By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Despite a recent drop in the prices of grains and other food crops across Nigeria, ginger prices have remained high, making the spice increasingly unaffordable for many households.
Nigeria is one of the world’s leading ginger producers, ranking second globally with annual production estimated between 500,000 and 800,000 metric tonnes, according to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. Production, however, dropped sharply in 2023 and 2024 due to a widespread blight that affected farms.
Kaduna State accounts for more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s ginger output, with other producing states including Nasarawa, Niger, Gombe, Bauchi and the Federal Capital Territory.
The agriculture ministry said the disease destroyed over 2,500 hectares of ginger farms across seven local government areas in southern Kaduna, causing losses estimated at N12bn.
The decline in production has significantly reduced supply, pushing prices higher in markets nationwide.
Traders said a bag of dried ginger, which previously sold for about N180,000, now costs between N600,000 and N610,000. A mudu that sold for about N2,700 three years ago now goes for around N28,000.
Traders attribute the surge to reduced production and rising global demand for Nigerian ginger, which is widely valued for its strong flavour and high oleoresin content.
Alhaji Isah Garba, a I trader at Yankaba spice market in Kano, said pest attacks that began in 2023 severely affected farmers’ yields, resulting in scarcity in the market.
“There has been a serious pest attack on ginger farms in the past few years, and farmers are yet to recover.
The reduced harvest has affected supply, while export demand continues to rise,” he said.
A farmer from Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Emmanuel Gabriel, said the outbreak drastically reduced his harvest from about 600 bags to just 20 bags.
Exporters say demand for Nigerian ginger has also increased in international markets including India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and China.
Mr Simon Agbor, a ginger exporter, said Nigeria accounts for about 16.9 per cent of global ginger production, ranking second after India.
Despite the country’s high production, he said Nigeria contributes a relatively small share to global exports because of strong domestic demand.
Meanwhile, many consumers say the rising cost has forced them to cut back on using ginger.
Mrs Fatima Abubakar said she stopped using ginger in preparing kunu because of the high price.
“If you buy ginger for N500 now, you will be surprised how small it is,” she said.
Similarly, a food vendor, Mrs Ijeoma Ifeanyi, said the cost of the spice had reduced its use in food preparation.
“Ginger has no alternative; it is either you use it or you leave it,” she said.
In response to the crisis, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the Federal Government had set up a Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Task Force to tackle the disease affecting farms.
The National Agricultural Development Fund has also approved a N1.6bn intervention under the Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment programme to support about 5,000 farmers affected by the outbreak in Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory.
