The executive secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Mohammed Abu Ibrahim, said the Federal Government, through the NADF, is providing supports valued at N1.6bn to ginger farmers in three states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The input support is a package under the Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment (GRATE).
He disclosed this at the launch of Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce Support Initiative supported by the office of the Vice President, held in Kaduna on Wednesday.
According to him, 15,000 ginger farmers from Kaduna, Plateau, ans Nasarawa States, including FCT were affected by the recent ginger blight epidemic in the country.
He said the incident happened when the country had started witnessing considerable growth in ginger export.
Ibrahim said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that revenue from ginger export increased by 17% to hit N10bn in Q2 of 2023 compared to N4.6bn over the same period in 2022.
According to him, 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 N1.6bn starting out with 1 ha input packs appropriately named the GRATE package, which is the Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment.
“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.
He explained that the support package to be given to the farmers contains 1pc 20kg bag of high-yield seed variety, 4pcs 50kg bags of NPK fertilizer, 2pcs 50kg bags of urea, 2pcs 1kg bag of fungicide.
Others are 1pc 1ltr of insecticide, 2pcs 1 litre of herbicide, 1pc 2 litre of post-emergence herbicide.
He said the team was eager to see ginger being grated in rural communities again in the immediate term.
In her remarks, Technical Assistant on Agriculture in the office of the Vice President, Marian Moon, said the presidency was taking the issue of agriculture and ginger farming very seriously as part of the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to her, many countries, among them Mexico, were busy trying to grow Nigerian ginger because it’s one of the best in the world.
She also urged farmers to increase ginger production in the country.
Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, represented by his deputy, Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, commended the federal government for its support to the affected farmers in the state.
The governor described the state’s ginger as one of the best in the world, urging the farmers to be more dedicated to their farming business.
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