BOA intervention revives Kaduna ginger farms after blight devastation

Ginger farmers in Kaduna's Kachia Local Government Area are experiencing a promising harvest due to Bank of Agriculture (BOA) intervention following a devastating ginger blight outbreak. The programme has reached approximately 3,400 farmers across 15 clusters, providing them with ginger planting materials and agricultural extension services to revive production and rebuild Nigeria's ginger industry.

The initiative involves collaboration among various stakeholders, including the Federal and Kaduna State Governments, agricultural institutions, local authorities, traditional leaders and farmer groups. BOA's Managing Director, Ayodeji Sotinrin, revealed the number of beneficiaries during a visit to ginger farms in Kachia to inspect the mature crops and harvested ginger.

The process involves taking ginger rhizomes to tissue culture laboratories for multiplication and subsequent transfer of plantlets to nurseries for development into seedlings. The BOA aims to expand the initiative to 16 states, with projections that Nigeria's ginger production could reach three million tonnes within five years, generating $3bn in economic value.

Sotinrin highlighted that BOA was offering financing at a rate of nine per cent, aligning with the Federal Government's directive to make agricultural credit more affordable. President Bola Tinubu, the Kaduna State Government and BOA staff were also acknowledged for their contributions to the programme. Sotinrin emphasized that the BOA was working with the Federal Government on interventions across other agricultural value chains to improve farmers' earnings and strengthen food production.