By Faridat Salifu
In Makhado, Limpopo, Ika Cronjé has embarked on a remarkable journey in ginger farming at Jan-Tak Boerdery.
Initially exploring various vegetables, she faced challenges with low profit margins due to the region’s hot and humid climate, which made crops like peppers and tomatoes vulnerable to pests and diseases.
After extensive research, Cronjé identified ginger as a promising crop but discovered its susceptibility to soilborne diseases, which restricts planting to every four to ten years.
This limitation made traditional farming methods impractical, requiring significant land and the need for ginger-free zones.
Determined to innovate, Cronjé adapted an existing tunnel used for other crops, employing hydroponics to grow ginger in sawdust-filled bags. This approach allowed her to optimize her limited land while maintaining a consistent production cycle.
Today, she successfully harvests between 70 and 100 tons of ginger each year from just 1.5 hectares, employing six permanent workers and additional seasonal staff during peak times.
The journey hasn’t been without obstacles. The ginger farming community is notoriously secretive, making it difficult to access production information. With hydroponic ginger farming being rare both locally and globally, Cronjé often finds herself in a trial-and-error phase, working closely with agronomists to refine her practices.
Using sawdust from a nearby sawmill as her growing medium, she ensures it is sterilized with bleach to prevent contamination.
The planting process is labor-intensive, with each bag filled by hand—starting in winter to allow for a September planting that leads to a winter harvest.
Cronjé retains about 8 percent to 10 percent of her crop for seed, as sourcing high-quality ginger seed can be both costly and challenging.
In her greenhouses, Cronjé monitors conditions carefully. While growing ginger in the greenhouse yields larger rhizomes due to climate control, she finds that shade netting offers a more cost-effective solution.
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The ideal temperature for ginger ranges from 23°C to 29°C, and during the hotter summer months, she uses micro-irrigation to maintain humidity and prevent leaf burn.
Each plant requires between 1.6 and 2 liters of water daily, which is carefully administered through a drip irrigation system.
This method ensures moisture levels are optimal while preventing overwatering, which can lead to disease. Cronjé performs daily tests to monitor irrigation needs, balancing the water input and drainage to maintain healthy growth.
Once the rhizomes sprout, she implements a fertigation program, applying fertilizers based on regular leaf analyses.
Ginger’s high nutrient requirements necessitate careful monitoring, particularly during the flowering stage when increased potassium and calcium are beneficial.
Disease management is one of Cronjé’s biggest challenges. With ginger highly susceptible to fungal infections, she proactively treats rhizomes before planting and uses beneficial microorganisms like Trichoderma and Bacillus to combat diseases.
When infections occur, the affected rhizomes must be removed, often requiring a complete reset of the production process.
Harvesting ginger involves carefully removing the entire plant, rinsing the rhizomes, and discarding the sawdust, which is collected by a neighboring avocado farmer for use as mulch. The ginger is then dipped in a food-grade sterilization agent, dried, and packed into bright pink boxes that enhance market appeal.
Despite the nerve-wracking nature of selling at fresh produce markets, where prices fluctuate daily, Cronjé has witnessed a surge in demand, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. She is now exploring export opportunities, having secured necessary certifications, though transport costs remain a concern.
Her dedication and success have earned her the title of “Ginger Queen” in the farming community, reflecting her passion for cultivating ginger and her willingness to innovate in an industry often characterized by secrecy.
“I absolutely love farming ginger! The excitement of research and being outdoors drives me,” she states.
Source: Farmers Weekly
