LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Nigerian government has set aside N1.6 billion to assist ginger farmers in Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following a recent outbreak affecting their crops.
This announcement was made by the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Mohammed Ibrahim, during the launch of the Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce Support Initiative in Kaduna on Wednesday.
The support initiative, termed the GRATE package (Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment), targets 15,000 ginger farmers from Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) who were adversely affected by the epidemic crisis.
Ibrahim highlighted the increase in revenue from ginger exports reported by the National Bureau for Statistics (NBS), reaching N10 billion in Q2 of 2023, compared to N4.6 billion in the same period in 2022, underscoring the significance of ginger farming to the national economy.
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Detailing the support package, Ibrahim outlined a comprehensive set of inputs including high-yield seed varieties, fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides aimed at revitalizing ginger cultivation to help farmers recover from the setbacks. Ibrahim believes that ginger farming will thrive in rural communities, and also emphasized the immediate impact of the support on farmers’ livelihoods.
The Technical Assistant on Agriculture from the Office of the Vice President, Marian Moon, reiterated the government’s commitment to revitalizing agriculture and ginger farming as part of its renewed agenda programme. Moon highlighted the global demand for Nigerian ginger, emphasizing its high quality and the need for farmers to capitalize on this market opportunity.
The Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, represented by his deputy, Hadiza Balarabe, commended the federal government for its intervention and emphasized the exceptional quality of Kaduna’s ginger, urging farmers to remain steadfast in their agricultural pursuits.