FG to Support Ginger Farmers in 3 States with N1.6bn Input Packages
The federal government is to support ginger farmers in three states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with input packages worth N1.6 billion from the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF).
The Executive Secretary of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim disclosed this yesterday at the launch of “Ginger
Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce Support Initiative” in Kaduna.
Ibrahim said 15,000 ginger farmers from Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, and the FCT were affected by the recent ginger blight epidemic in the country.
He added that the input support is under the Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment (GRATE).
He noted reports of the National Bureau for Statistics (NBS) indicating that revenue from ginger export increased by 17 per cent to N10 billion in the second quarter of 2023 compared to N4.6 billion over the same period in 2022.
The NADF executive secretary, explained that it was in response to the epidemic crisis that the task force was set up.
“At the first instance, the federal government, through the NADF is providing support valued at N1.6 billion, starting out with 1 ha input packs appropriately named the GRATE package.
"The recent ginger blight epidemic, while affecting an estimated 15,000 farmers across Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa States, and the FCT, came at a time our country had started to see considerable growth in ginger exports,” he said.
According to him, the support package to be given to the farmers include, high-yield seed variety, NPK fertiliser, Urea fertiliser, fungicides, insecticides, herbicides and post-emergence herbicides.
Ibrahim said the team was eager to see ginger being grated in rural communities again in the immediate term.
Also in her remarks at the event, the Technical Assistant on Agriculture, Office of the Vice President, Maryam Mo, said the presidency was taking the issue of agriculture and ginger farming very seriously as part of the renewed agenda programme of the government.