The Federal Government has confirmed the outbreak of Ginger Blight Epidemic in four states in Nigeria and the loss of over 12 billion naira by Ginger farmers.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi while speaking at the inauguration of the National Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce in Abuja on Monday stated that the devastating fungal disease has inflicted significant damage upon Nigerian
ginger farms in Kaduna, Nassarawa Plateau states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Abdullahi noted that the blight has caused billions of Naira in losses impacting not only the
livelihoods of countless hardworking farmers, but also Nigeria’s position as the world’s
second largest ginger producer.
“Our preliminary estimates suggested that affected
farmers in southern Kaduna lost over 12 billion Naira.
“Highlighting the significant financial losses. Furthermore, considering that over 85% of
Nigeria’s ginger cultivation occurs in this region. We can safely assume a substantial loss
of cultivated land, potentially exceeding 70% of total land.”
Meanwhile, Abubakar assured that the federal government
through the National
Agricultural Development Fund, NADD Fund will launch a 1.6 billion recovery
package for affected farmers in the ginger producing areas.
He stated that the swift action demonstrates President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to making sure
every problem that beset Nigerian economy is frontally attacked and given all the necessary attention.
He affirm that the ginger blight epidemic serves as a stark reminder of the
importance of preparedness in safeguarding our agricultural resources adding that by investing in
research, extension services, and farmer support systems, we can build a more
sustainable future for our agricultural sector.
The Chairman of the taskforce committee, Engr. Abubakar Abdullahi on his part stated that there is no doubt that the
blight on ginger has negatively affected the GDP earnings from this subsector and it is
of necessity and great urgency that various subcommittees were put in place to forestall
these negative effects.
Abdullahi while assuring of their commitment to salvage the situation pleaded with the Honorable Minister to give the committee the powers to co-opt members that will add value to the task force to discharge their duties efficiently and effectively.