BOA intervention revives Kaduna ginger farms after blight devastation

Politics Spice Special Features Education Sex & Relationship Interview Columns Opinion Advertise with us BOA intervention revives Kaduna ginger farms after blight devastation Business & Economy October 26, 2026 12:13 am MD of BOA, Ayodeji Sotinrin, with Ginger farmers. Photo: BOA

Ginger farmers in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State are recording promising harvests following an intervention by the Bank of Agriculture to revive production after ginger blight devastated the sector.

The intervention has reached about 3,400 farmers across 15 clusters, providing ginger planting materials and agricultural extension services to restore production and rebuild Nigeria’s ginger industry.

According to a statement issued by the Bank of Agriculture on Sunday, the programme involves collaboration among the Federal Government, the Kaduna State Government, agricultural institutions, local authorities, traditional leaders and farmer groups.

The Managing Director of BOA, Ayodeji Sotinrin, disclosed the number of beneficiaries during a visit to ginger farms in Kachia on Sunday to inspect mature crops and harvested ginger under the programme.

Sotinrin explained that the process involved taking ginger rhizomes to tissue culture laboratories for multiplication before transferring the plantlets to nurseries, where they would be developed into seedlings for distribution.

He said the initiative was part of a broader plan to revive Nigeria’s ginger industry after the disease affected production in major growing areas.

The BOA managing director added that the bank was working towards establishing nurseries to support ginger production in 16 states, with the aim of expanding cultivation beyond the locations currently covered by the programme.

Sotinrin projected that Nigeria’s ginger production could rise to three million tonnes within five years if the revival efforts and expansion plans were sustained.

He said the target could generate about $3bn in economic value while creating opportunities for farmers to increase their earnings.

“The people that you’ll call poor farmers or vulnerable farmers are the ones that will be making N70m to N80m per hectare, not me,” he said, referring to the potential earnings from ginger cultivation.

He added that BOA was providing financing at an interest rate of nine per cent, in line with the Federal Government’s directive to make agricultural credit more affordable.

Sotinrin acknowledged the contributions of President Bola Tinubu, the Kaduna State Government, the Kachia local government chairman, village heads, cluster heads and BOA staff to the programme.

He also credited the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services for its contribution to efforts to restore ginger production.

The BOA managing director said the bank was working with the Federal Government on interventions across other agricultural value chains to improve farmers’ earnings and strengthen food production.

He cited the Guaranteed Minimum Price programme for maize, which he said was designed to support farmers when market prices fell and encourage them to sustain production.

According to him, the Federal Government had intervened in the maize market by purchasing produce at a guaranteed floor price, a move he said had helped raise prices and encouraged farmers to return to their farms.

Sotinrin also disclosed that the bank was exploring ways to support cassava farmers by working with processors of cassava derivatives to purchase produce left on farms and offer farmers better prices.

He said the broader agricultural interventions were aimed at strengthening food production, protecting farmers from severe market fluctuations and improving the viability of farming.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Kachia Local Government Area, Dr Manzo Daniel Maigari, said ginger blight had destroyed about 90 per cent of production in the area, leaving many farmers without their main source of livelihood.

Princess Etuk is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over five years of experience covering national development and the economy. She focuses on public policy, infrastructure, agriculture, and related sectors, producing insightful features and exclusive reports. Princess’s work reflects a strong commitment to accountability journalism, sectoral development reporting, and informed public dialogue.

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