Kaduna government, federal agency unfold support package for ginger farmers after devastating crop epidemic

After a season in which the Blight epidemic ravaged their crops, help is on the way for ginger farmers in the seven local government areas where ginger is a principal cash crop in the southern part of Kaduna State.

The disease wreaked havoc on ginger across the area, with many farmers losing their entire crops and unable to prepare for the new planting season.

However, the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency (KADA) have stepped in to provide support for the farmers under a Ginger Recovery, Advancement, and Transformation for Economy Empowerment (GRATE) initiative.

NADF is a federal agency established to support farmers in building regenerative farms and improving production towards stimulating economic development and food security in Nigeria.

As part of the GRATE initiative, NADF and KADA have started the screening of farmers and engaging with other stakeholders across the seven local government areas in the state in preparation for the 2024 ginger planting season.

According to the federal agency, the farmers will be provided fertilisers, seeds and crop protection products to enhance crop rotation on their farms.

NADF and KADA said their collaboration under the GRATE initiative aims to fortify the ginger value chain and uplift the livelihoods of local producers.

Samuel Aende, a representative of NADF, disclosed this at a stakeholders engagement meeting in Kachia on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, Mr Aende said the GRATE team would visit Kachia, Jaba, Kagarko, Zangon Kataf, Kaura, Jema’a and Sanga local government areas for the screening of farmers and engagement with the other actors.

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After that exercise, Mr Aende said each farmer would be given four 50kg bags of NPK 20.10.10 fertiliser, two 50kg bags of Urea fertiliser, one 25kg bag of maize and sorghum hybrid seeds, and per hectare dosage of herbicides and crop protection products, including fungicide and insecticide for crop rotation.

“The aim is rejuvenating ginger farming after the devastating effect of the Blight epidemic in 2023, which affected farmers in Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa and the FCT.” He said the farmers will get “substantial funding for improved and better ginger yield.”

In his remarks, David Jonathan from KADA said the support programme will bolster the ginger value chains and improve farmers’ livelihoods.

“KADA is proud to be a part of this effort, as it aligns perfectly with our core mission of empowering rural agricultural communities,” Mr Jonathan said.

He said Governor Uba Sani had flagged off the initiative in Kaduna.

In his remarks, the president of the National Ginger Farmers Association, Nuhu Dauda, lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his intervention to help ginger farmers who lost their crops to the epidemic.

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The chairperson of Kachia LGA, Victoria Saidu, also the council’s director of forestry, said the local government was working round the clock with the state government and NADF for a good yield and harvest of ginger this year.

She urged the beneficiaries to make “judicious use of the information and inputs disbursed to them so that they can make profits.

Meanwhile, some beneficiaries who spoke at the engagement commended NADF and the Kaduna State government for their quick intervention, describing it as a good start for ginger farmers in the zone.