Farmers in Abuja and others lost N12 billion to ginger disease - FG

The Federal Government of Nigeria announced on Monday that the disease has caused over N12 billion in losses to ginger growers in four of the country’s states.

This was found during the National Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce’s inauguration in Abuja. It was discovered that the fungal illness had seriously harmed ginger crops located in the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, and the Nassarawa Plateau.

According to Aliyu Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, the blight has destroyed billions of naira in losses, hurting not just farmers’ livelihoods but also Nigeria’s standing as the second-biggest producer of ginger globally.

“Our preliminary estimates suggested that affected farmers in southern Kaduna lost over N12bn.

“Furthermore, considering that over 85 per cent of Nigeria’s ginger cultivation occurs in this region, we can safely assume a substantial loss of cultivated land, potentially exceeding 70 per cent of total land,” he stated.

Nonetheless, Abdullahi declared that the National Agricultural Development Fund of the Federal Government would initiate a N1.6 billion relief program for impacted farmers in regions that produce ginger.

He said the ginger blight epidemic served as a stark reminder of the importance of preparedness in safeguarding agricultural resources, adding that by investing in research, extension services and farmer support systems, “we can build a more sustainable future for our agricultural sector.”

Abubakar Abdullahi, the task force committee chairman, stated that there was no question the ginger blight had a detrimental impact on the GDP generated by this subsector.

“It is of necessity and great urgency that various subcommittees are put in place to forestall these negative effects,” he stated.

As he begged the minister to grant the committee the authority to co-opt members who would enhance the task force’s ability to carry out its tasks effectively and efficiently, Abdullahi reassured the minister of the team’s commitment to turning the situation around.