Bank of Agriculture says 3,400 Kaduna ginger farmers back on their feet after blight
- The Bank of Agriculture says about 3,400 ginger farmers in Kachia, Kaduna State, are harvesting again after blight wiped out most of their crop.
- The bank supplied planting materials and extension services across 15 clusters and plans nurseries in 16 states.
- Kachia council chairman says the area has recovered to about 30 per cent of its former production.
Ginger farmers in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State are pulling in promising harvests again, after ginger blight destroyed most of their crop, the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has said.
The bank said its intervention has reached about 3,400 farmers across 15 clusters, with planting materials and extension services to help them restart production.
The BOA Managing Director, Ayodeji Sotinrin, gave the figures on Sunday while inspecting mature and harvested ginger on farms in Kachia.
For farmers in the area, the recovery matters beyond the farm gate: ginger is a cash crop, and a good harvest means income for households that lost their main livelihood when the disease struck.
How the revival works
Sotinrin explained that ginger rhizomes are taken to tissue culture laboratories to be multiplied, then moved to nurseries where they grow into seedlings for farmers.
He said the bank wants to set up ginger nurseries in 16 states, expanding beyond the areas the programme currently covers.
If the effort is sustained, he projected Nigeria's ginger output could reach three million tonnes within five years, worth about $3bn in economic value.
He said farmers the bank supports can earn between ₦70m and ₦80m per hectare from ginger, adding that BOA is lending at nine per cent interest under the Federal Government's push for cheaper farm credit.
The programme brings together the Federal Government, the Kaduna State Government, agricultural institutions, local authorities, traditional leaders and farmer groups. The National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) and Agrolog also provide technical support.
Recovery is still partial
The Chairman of Kachia Local Government Area, Dr Manzo Daniel Maigari, said the blight destroyed about 90 per cent of production in the area, leaving many farmers without their main source of income.
He said farmers got support, including alternative inputs, after the outbreak, but production has not returned to its old level. He estimated the sector is now at about 30 per cent of its former capacity and believes sustained support could speed up recovery over the next two years.
Maigari said the programme aims for at least 50 per cent female participation, though he did not give the number of women currently benefiting.
Agrolog's Operations Manager, Cham Datiyoung Yakubu, said the organisation grouped farmers into clusters and provides extension services. He said more than 900 farmers displaced by insecurity form one cluster, and monitoring reports show their crops are developing well even though security concerns have limited farm visits.
Cluster heads Malachy Gadani and Caleb Dallah, and beneficiary Blessing Ali, thanked the bank for the support.
Sotinrin said BOA is also working with the Federal Government on other crops, including a guaranteed minimum price for maize and plans to link cassava farmers with processors.
