Ginger farmers in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State are recording encouraging harvests following an intervention by the Bank of Agriculture aimed at reviving production after ginger blight devastated the sector.
The programme has reached about 3,400 farmers across 15 clusters, providing planting materials and agricultural extension services to restore output and rebuild Nigeria’s ginger industry.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Bank of Agriculture said the initiative involves collaboration among the Federal Government, Kaduna State Government, agricultural institutions, local authorities, traditional leaders and farmer groups.
The Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayodeji Sotinrin, disclosed the number of beneficiaries during a visit to ginger farms in Kachia on Sunday to inspect mature crops and harvested produce under the programme.
Sotinrin explained that the intervention involved taking ginger rhizomes to tissue culture laboratories for multiplication before transferring the resulting plantlets to nurseries, where they would grow into seedlings for distribution to farmers.
He said the initiative formed part of a broader effort to revive Nigeria’s ginger industry following disease outbreaks that severely affected production in major growing areas.
The BOA managing director added that the bank planned to establish nurseries to support ginger production in 16 states, as part of efforts to expand cultivation beyond the areas currently covered by the programme.
Sotinrin projected that Nigeria’s ginger production could reach three million tonnes within five years if efforts to revive the sector and expand cultivation were sustained.
He added that achieving the target could generate an estimated $3bn in economic value and create opportunities for farmers to boost their earnings.
“The people that you’ll call poor farmers or vulnerable farmers are the ones that will be making N70m to N80m per hectare, not me,” he said.
He added that BOA was offering agricultural financing at an interest rate of nine per cent, in line with the Federal Government’s directive to improve access to affordable credit for farmers.
Sotinrin acknowledged the contributions of President Bola Tinubu, the Kaduna State Government, the Kachia local government chairman, village heads, cluster heads and BOA staff to the programme.
He also recognised the role of the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services in supporting efforts to restore ginger production.
The BOA managing director said the bank was collaborating with the Federal Government on interventions across other agricultural value chains to boost farmers’ earnings and strengthen food production.
He cited the Guaranteed Minimum Price programme for maize, which he said was aimed at protecting farmers from falling market prices and encouraging sustained production.
Sotinrin said the Federal Government had intervened in the maize market by purchasing produce at a guaranteed minimum price, helping to lift market prices and encourage farmers to resume cultivation.
He also disclosed that the bank was exploring ways to support cassava farmers by partnering with processors of cassava derivatives to buy produce left on farms and offer farmers better prices.
