A glimmer of hope has emerged for ginger farming in Kaduna state as the National Ginger Association of Nigeria (NGAN) announced a strategic partnership with the Federal Government and NAFOS Agro Ltd to establish a ginger packaging house.
The collaboration aims to address several key issues within the ginger value chain. One of which is to provide ginger storage facilities and implement Agro-Tech solutions for enhanced farm management services.
The partnership also seeks to prevent the recurrence of last year’s outbreak of a mysterious pest which affected ginger crops in several communities in Southern Kaduna.
The Explainer gathered that many farmers are yet to recover from what they described as “strange disease” that attacked ginger crops in the 2023 farming season.
The Chairman of Kachia local government area of the state, Aaron Bako, said ginger farming remained the major source of livelihood for the people of Kachia.
“It is on this note that we are calling on the governments to come to the aid of our people who have been badly affected by this strange disease,” he stated during an interview with The Explainer.
However, during an interactive session with journalists, the President of NGAN, Nuhu Daudu said that “the partnership intends to bolster food security and community engagement throughout” the agricultural value chain in the affected areas.
“The partnership gears towards fulfilling the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The partnership is no doubt going to unleash the power of unity for a better experience for the Ginger farmers in the country,” Daudu noted.
Responding, iIgwe, the CEO of NAFOS reiterated the danger pests posed to ginger farming in the country, which he said has dwindled revenue in the sector.
He added that the collaboration with the Federal Government was facilitated by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (Northwest).
Since the deadly pest attack, the Explainer also gathered that a group known as the Non-Farmers Initiative has empowered 18 ginger farmers with the sum of N50,000 each in Kachia LGA of the state.
