Senate has called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to supply relief materials to ginger farmers in Southern Kaduna. This urgent action comes in response to a disease outbreak affecting ginger production in the region.
This action followed the adoption of a motion during Tuesday’s plenary by Senator Sunday Katung addressing the urgent need to tackle a deadly disease affecting ginger production in Southern Kaduna. Sen. Katung, in presenting the motion, highlighted the long-standing cultivation of ginger in the Southern part of Kaduna state, dating back to 1927.
He stated that the state is among the top producers of ginger in Nigeria, positioning the country as one of the major global ginger producers.
The annual production averaged more than 300,000 tonnes between 2014 and 2018. Additionally, he pointed out that Nigeria’s ginger production accounted for approximately 11 percent of the worldwide market share, placing it second only to India.
He emphasized that ginger production, as part of the agricultural sector, significantly contributes to revenue generation and the income of farmers.
He highlighted that this development has been instrumental in reducing poverty rates among local farmers in Southern Kaduna and across the country.
He emphasized the multifaceted benefits of ginger consumption, including its revenue-generating potential and various health advantages such as preventing stomach ulcers, reducing nausea and vomiting among pregnant women, and supporting chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients.
He further expressed concern about the setback experienced during the 2023 ginger season in Southern Kaduna State due to a widespread outbreak of fungi pathogens, resulting in the destruction of over 2,500 hectares of farmlands. This devastation is estimated to be worth N10 billion, impacting the region. He emphasized that this significant setback jeopardized Nigeria’s standing in global ginger production.
He added that this unprecedented ginger pandemic not only affected Nigeria’s non-oil export performance but also had a direct impact on the lives of many individuals in the affected communities of Southern Kaduna, as ginger was their primary source of livelihood.
“Disturbed about the public health risks of this deadly disease because research has revealed that organisms that affect plants may develop some sort of host jumping, with the mutation or development of the mechanism switching over to the host, and the pathogen that was earlier infecting plants changing and infecting human beings,” Katung stated.
Adding to the discussion, Senator Titus Zam echoed the need to protect ginger producers in Southern Kaduna. He emphasized that this protection is essential as it is the key to improving the nation’s export capacity.
“People are talking about oil and gas, others are talking about agriculture. It makes sense to support our ginger farmers in Southern Kaduna. It will add more weight for a shift to agriculture,”he said.
The Senate, in additional resolutions, directed its Committee on Agricultural Production and Rural Development to liaise with the National Agricultural Quarantine Services and its supervisory ministry, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, to promptly conduct an on-the-ground assessment of all affected areas impacted by the ginger pandemic in Southern Kaduna state.
Furthermore, the Senate instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to swiftly deploy teams to Southern Kaduna to address the disease.
Senate also urged the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to immediately coordinate surveillance systems, collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data on this disease. This effort is crucial for preventing further spread.