For over 40 years, Alhaji Sulaiman Ahmad has been into ginger farming in Kagarko LGA, in the southern part of Kaduna State.

“I started farming ginger on a small scale in 1980, which is about 42 years ago. The demand is increasing every year and many people are now joining the business,” he said.

Like Ahmad, producers of ginger in the southern part of Kaduna State are increasing in their number as ginger farming has proved to be a profitable venture.

“We are expanding our ginger farming. We are buying cars, building houses, and taking care of our families,” said one of the farmers.

“Many people have now joined the business, but the only problem is the cost of fertilizer and insecticides.

“Ginger farming needs a lot of money and manpower. Most of our laborers come from the far north. But many of them were absent during this farming season because of the insecurity, banditry, and kidnapping which have affected the quantity of ginger cultivation,” he said.

He said farming one hectare of land required 300 bags of organic fertilizer and 15 bags of inorganic fertilizer.

The farmer explained that a farmer could cultivate 150 bags of ginger on one hectare of land which if sold at N29,000 per bag will give him about N4.3 million. “His gain will not be less than N1.95 million,” he said.