Ginger Farmer Applies Right Fertilizer Dose
Proper application of fertilizers during the correct stages of farming is an important element towards the growth of crops. Local ginger farmer Paula Nokomaivuna says proper application contributes towards the handsome income farmers make after every harvest.
“Giving the right application contributes to the quality of ginger paste I make and sell to my buyers,” Mr Nokomaivuna said. Mr Nokomaivuna runs his Wainakula farm on a 1000-acre land in Waidina, Naitasiri. Apart from ginger he also plants dalo and cassava.
Plot preparation
Ginger planting for the 44-year-old farmer includes clearing the land before creating ginger plots. He then adds poultry manure evenly on the soil.
After adding manure to the ginger plots, the plots are then left for two to three weeks to allow the manure to mix with the soil nutrients before
ginger roots are planted.
“Once we start to see shoots of one or two ginger leaves, we apply urea fertilizer which are like salt for the soil. We apply urea to the soil because it helps the ginger to grow,” he said.
“One or two months later, we apply nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) to boost the growth of ginger. We can apply this fertilizer twice, but it depends on the farmer. After applying NPK, we make sure that the ginger plants are properly covered with soil because that will help absorb the fertilizer. This aids growth.
“Following proper application of fertilizer reflects positively on the weigh scale when the crop is weighed before transporting ginger to the market.”
Ginger plants take at least four months to mature before they are ready for harvest.
At the moment Mr Nokomaivuna supplies ginger paste to local supermarkets, restaurants and also exports the commodity to a New Zealand based company Hakanoa. “I buy my fertilizer from a supplier in Lami. I spend almost $2000 for fertilizer. This depends on how much acre of land I plan to use. I could use one ton of NPK per hectare while I use 300kg of urea for another hectare and I just split the times I apply them.”
He also uses paraquat to kill the weeds during the preparation stage of farming because it saves him from having to cut overgrown grass.