Nigeria’s ginger industry, once a major driver of agricultural exports, is now in crisis as production collapses and prices spiral beyond the reach of both local consumers and international buyers.
The country reached peak output in 2022 with 927,041 metric tonnes (MT), but a fungal blight that swept through ginger farms in 2023 cut production to just 420,000 MT—the lowest level in two decades. Analysts warn that the sector’s volatility threatens Nigeria’s position as one of the world’s top producers.
Historical data paints a turbulent picture. Production stood at 691,239 MT in 2019, rose to 726,000 MT in 2021, and had earlier hit 834,600 MT in 2017 before the blight crisis reversed these gains. Figures from the Journal of Agripreneurship and Sustainable Development show wild swings in both production and prices, with output fluctuating between 420,000 MT and 927,041 MT and prices ranging from ₦145/kg to as high as ₦690.50/kg.
In local markets across Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, and Abuja, the spike is even more dramatic. A measure (mudu) of ginger that once sold for less than ₦1,000 now costs ₦12,500. Small portions that previously went for ₦100 or ₦500 are selling for ₦1,000 and ₦2,000 respectively, pricing the commodity out of reach for many households and small-scale processors.
The industry’s struggles stem from three major phases of uneven growth. Between 2000 and 2006, Nigeria cultivated vast areas of ginger but recorded poor yields. From 2007 to 2014, yields improved even as land under cultivation shrank. A more sustainable growth period emerged from 2015, with yields climbing steadily to 82,138 MT/ha by 2019. Despite this progress, disease outbreaks, high input costs, and unstable markets have repeatedly undercut gains.
The Federal Government has acknowledged the scale of the crisis. Last year, the Ministry of Agriculture set up a national committee to fight the fungal disease that wiped out crops in Kaduna, where farmers reportedly lost more than ₦20 billion. Authorities released ₦1 billion as a recovery fund and announced another ₦1.6 billion for affected farmers, but industry stakeholders claim the support has not reached them. The Ginger Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria says many of its members remain excluded and have had to pursue laboratory-based seed multiplication to salvage the next planting season.
Experts argue that government handouts alone cannot revive the sector. They call for private sector leadership to build sustainable solutions. Agribusiness consultant Samson Ogbole has urged Nigeria to establish local tissue culture laboratories capable of producing clean, disease-free ginger seeds. He proposed a “buy-back” scheme, similar to cassava models, in which processors provide farmers with high-quality rhizomes and guarantee harvest purchases to stabilise the value chain.
Supporting this approach, agricultural consultant Oyewole Okewole revealed that his firm, in partnership with Heifer International, is piloting the CBI-CSR Nigeria Ginger Programme. The initiative aims to rebuild the ginger sector into a sustainable and export-ready industry while helping farmers diversify into crops such as tomatoes to cushion income losses.
Despite the challenges, the sector retains significant potential. Analysts estimate that Nigeria’s ginger industry could generate $6.29 billion for the economy by 2030, up from $4.16 billion in 2023, if decisive steps are taken. Without urgent interventions, however, the current decline may deepen, leaving farmers, processors, and exporters grappling with uncertainty in what was once one of Nigeria’s most promising agricultural sectors.
