The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) in the pursuit to develop the economy of the nation, is enlightening famers in enhancing the production of ginger crops. BINTA SHAMA reports.
How has ginger production fared in Nigeria, what’s the consumption rate?
Ginger (Zingiberofficinale) is an herbaceous perennial plant that belongs to the order Scitamineaeand the family Zingiberaceae. It is a root crop and a typical herb extensively grown across the world for its pungent aromatic under-ground stem or rhizome which makes it an important export commodity in the world trade. Ginger is likely to have originated from India from where it is introduced to Africa and the Caribbean by the colonial masters. It was brought to Nigeria in 1927 and its cultivation started around Kwoi, Kubacha, Kafanchan and Kagarko areas of southern Kaduna State and around the neighbouring parts of Plateau State. Worldwide over 25 varieties of ginger are grown. However, only two major varieties are grown in Nigeria. The two are referred to as the reddish and yellow varieties respectively.
The various cultivars available in Nigeria are UG1, UG2 and Maran. The UG1 yield higher than UG2 which is reported to be more pungent. The plant is now cultivated in different parts of Nigeria. Among the areas ginger are now produced are Nassarawa, Sokoto, Benue, Osun, Anambra, Zamfara, Akwa-Ibom, Oyo, Abia and Lagos states, although, southern Kaduna still remain the largest producer of fresh ginger in Nigeria. The varieties produced in Nigeria are locally referred to as ‘TaffinGiwa’ and ‘YatsunBiri’. The ‘YatsunBiri’ has higher monoterpene and oil which gives it more pungent aroma and pungency. Therefore it is usually preferred for the production of oils and oleoresin.
The refreshing aroma and pungent taste of ginger makes it an essential ingredient in diverse cuisines and the food processing industries around the world. Ginger is available in three forms, namely fresh root ginger, preserved ginger and dried ginger. The solvent extract known as oleoresin, is available in consumer-friendly packages. Ginger powder is also an ingredient in many blend spices mixes. Studies have identified more than 400 different compounds in ginger. Among these are Fe, Mg, Ca, vitamin C, flavonoids, phenolic compounds (gingerdiol, gingerol, gingerdione and shogaols), sesquiterpenes and paradols. Ginger is used for baked goods, soups, beer, and many other soft drinks. It is a very important raw material in the medicinal, food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. It has been a part of healing strategies in Asia, India, Europe, and the Middle East for centuries where they are used for treatment of disorders such as arthritis, stomach upset, asthma, diabetes, menstrual irregularities, etc. It has long been used as an herbal medicine to treat various symptoms including vomiting, pain and cold. Ginger also has antiapoptotic, anti-tumour activities, anti-pyretic, anti-platelet, anti-tumourigenic, antihyperglycaemic, antioxidant anti-diabetic, anti-clotting and analgesic properties. Cell culture studies show that ginger has antioxidant properties. Ginger also has beneficial effects toward cardiovascular diseases through its multiple actions in counteracting inflammation, hyperlipidemia, platelet aggregation, and hypertension. Ginger leaves are used as food-flavouring agent. Ginger oil is used as flavouring agent in soft drink, as spices in bakery products, in confectionary, pickles, sauces and as preservatives.
Nigeria ranked first in terms of the percentage of total hectares of ginger under ginger cultivation but her contribution to total world output is low compared to other countries. The main areas under ginger cultivation globally are Nigeria (56.23%), India (23.6%), China (4.47%), Indonesia (3.37%) and Bangladesh (2.32%).
The low output is attributable to the fact that most of the production is undertaken by smallholder and traditional farmers with rudimentary production techniques. The smallholder farmers are constrained by many problems. One of these is that farmers do not take ginger farming as a business enterprise.
Also the areas of land cultivated by majority of the farmers were small, until recently. In 2016, the ginger farmers’ cultivated an average of 0.25 hectares. Nowadays, the average farm size is 0.5 hectares, and recently, there is a trend in which some farmers are maintaining a size of around 1.0 hectares. In addition, labor is usually sourced from the farmer’s families.
However, according to FAO, Nigeria has the potential to expand production in the medium to long-term if adequate investment strategy is adopted. In 2016, Nigeria was the third-highest exporter of ginger, preceded by China and India.
However, Nigeria’s production of ginger has since been on the increase. In 2017, Nigeria produced 349,900 tonnes of ginger which represented 11.5% of global output. Production in 2018 and 2019 were 368,019 and 375,305 tonnes, respectively. Out of the quantities produced, 10 percent were consumed fresh locally, while 90% were consumed in the dried form. About 20% of the dried ginger was consumed locally for various uses, while the remaining 80% were exported. Nigerian ginger is rated as one of the best in the international market due to its pungency and high level of oleoresin oil, a highly sought after ingredient.
What has the agency been doing to address some of the limitations to ginger export?
The main limitations of the Nigerian ginger market include the lack of development of production, markets and processing facilities, as well as the disparity between the amount of profit between farmers and traders, irregular weather conditions and the limited number of ginger varieties. In addition, one of the biggest challenges Nigeria faces is low value addition and how to maintain the quality of ginger which has to be enhanced in order to meet export market standards.
To obviate some of these challenges, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council initiated, maintained and sustained a ginger development strategy that has been yielding results. The strategy has direct impact on production, processing and marketing of ginger in Nigeria.
First and foremost, under the Boosting of Agricultural Raw Materials for Industrial Use programme, the Council in the early 1990s collaborated with National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, to produce and distribute high quality ginger planting materials to ginger farmers associations in the country. Since then, RMRDC has been boosting ginger production by distributing improved varieties of ginger rhizomes to farmers associations in selected States of the Federation. Recently, the Council provided two tons of organic ginger rhizomes to Southwest ginger producers, processors and marketers to boost the production and yield of organic ginger in Nigeria as organic ginger is safer, healthier and tastier than regular ginger and because of its increasing popularity in the global market. This is impacting positively on the quantity and quality of ginger being produced in the country by practicing ginger farmers.
Closely allied to this, the Council trained more than 500 ginger farmers across the country on global agronomic best practices. A major component of the capacity building initiatives was the training of farmers on methods of producing, harvesting and packaging of ginger in ways that will ensure that the commodity is not affected by aflatoxin. They were also trained on the application of aflasafe. Also the Council collaborated with LAUTECH Ogbomosho to promote the propagation and utilization of organic ginger in line with best international standards. RMRDC is also collaborating with other relevant bodies to propagate more organic ginger rhizomes in Nigeria.
In collaboration with National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike and Farm Industries, Owerri, respectively, the Council has promoted the design and fabrication of ginger splitting machine and ginger drying equipment for commercial processing of ginger. Each complete set of the plant comprises: a splitting machine, dryer, washing machine and digital moisture meter. Some of the equipment is being utilized at Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State by the Ginger Growers Association in Imo State. The Council is also collaborating with Belphins Nig. Ltd. to set up investment project on Split-dried ginger production in Nigeria. The Business plan/ feasibility report for the project has been prepared. Likewise, RMRDC’s collaboration with Tiger Foods Ltd, Onitsha has led to the local sourcing of ginger for processing into value added ginger products by the company.
Are you looking at value add preposition for the produce?
The bulk of ginger produced in Nigeria is exported in split-dried form. The importing countries usually process this into industrial products, mainly ginger powder, essential oils, oleoresin, etc. The products are imported into the country at higher cost, underscoring the need for value addition to the commodity within the country. As a result of this, the Council has been in the vanguard of promoting ginger value chain development in the country.
On the basis of this, the Council identified Belphins Nigeria Ltd, Kafanchan, Kaduna State as the only company with the capacity to produce ginger oleoresin in Nigeria while Tiger Foods Ltd, Onitsha, Anambra State was identified as a major player in the processing of other ginger value-added products. Ginger oleoresin is an important secondary raw material in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries. Consequently, the Council collaborated with the two companies to promote ginger exportable products. In the course of the collaboration, laboratory analyses were carried out on samples of oleoresin produced by Belphins Nigeria Ltd at the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The outcome of the analyses formed the basis for the advocacy with the organized private sector. The Council organized a roundtable/advocacy meeting on the utilization of locally produced ginger oleoresin by Nigeria’s industries. The program held at Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) House, Ikeja, Lagos on 3rd July, 2019 and was attended by industrialists in the Food and Beverage, Pharmaceutical sectors and other user industries. One of the key recommendations of the advocacy meeting was for the Council to liaise with SON to develop Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) on oleoresin. Consequently, the liaison with SON has been initiated. Further to this initiative, the Council in collaboration with a private engineering firm is about completing the design and fabrication of oleoresin extractors. A number of private sector investors have indicated interest in oleoresin production from ginger and are working in conjunction with the Council for the actualization of the project.
The Council’s initiative on ginger development is gradually increasing ginger production in the country. This is also impacting positively on foreign exchange earnings as presently up to 23% of Nigeria’s GDP comes from ginger exports. Growth in exports increased significantly over the years when total export value increased almost 4 times.
Increased ginger production and processing are impacting positively on the achievement of the diversification agenda of government.
Also, increase in ginger production and processing is gradually leading to reduction in spice importation in the country. As it were, the Council is increasing the tempo of its activities in the area of ginger value chain development.
The objective as outlined in the RMRDC strategic plan is to increase local capacity in the design and fabrication of more ginger processing facilities. Likewise, the Council is working closely with stakeholders’ on the Technical Tariff Committee (TTC) to handle as appropriate, the tariff for ginger oleoresin and other ginger products imported into this country.
This is to encourage increased local production and processing of ginger in Nigeria. This is important as increase production and processing of ginger will lead to the achievement of economic diversification agenda of government, as well as boost the national post COVID-19 pandemic era economic recovery plan.
