Ginger blight outbreak returns amid Nigeria's bid to rebuild $713m industry

Ginger blight, a destructive fungal disease that wiped out farms in 2023, has resurfaced in Kaduna State, threatening ongoing efforts to rebuild the $713 million industry.3 Farmers in major growing areas in Kaduna – Nigeria's largest producing state – said the fungus has been detected in multiple local government areas, reporting early signs of wilting and rhizome rot. Shinom Adinga, a ginger farmer in Kurmin Dangana village in Kagarko Local Government, said farmers in the community have been experiencing the ginger blight outbreak since early July. 'Most ginger farms across the community are having dark spots, yellowing leaves and drying off,' Adinga, who works with 360 Degree Organic Farmline Limited, said in response to questions. 'This will greatly impact harvest, which commences in October and November,' he said, explaining that the country experienced the fungal outbreak last in 2023. Nigeria was Africa's largest ginger producer and the world's second-largest exporter of the commodity before the 2023 blight. The crop production supports an estimated 500,000 smallholder farmers and earns the country critical foreign exchange. Losing another season would widen the country's ginger trade gap and cede market share to China and India, just as global demand for the commodity rises. Yusuf Usman, another ginger farmer in Kubacha, Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, said farmers are spending heavily on chemicals to curtail the outbreak. He lamented that the cost of cultivating ginger is getting expensive daily due to recurring outbreaks. 'I am yet to recover from the N12 million loss of 2023,' Usman said. 'I still planted small this year, and now the blight disease has attacked the farm,' he noted. Usman urged the government to rescue farmers in the community to prevent another industry collapse. Related News Nigeria's ginger production was 751,473 metric tonnes in 2022, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and plunged to 67,600 metric tonnes in 2023 when the first outbreak of the blight disease occurred, as estimated by AFEX Commodities. Nigeria's production recovered from a near collapse in 2023 to 159,600 metric tonnes in 2024. The figure is far below the historic levels of over 700,000 metric tonnes. Export earnings also collapsed within the period as scarcity drove local prices to record levels. The country's ginger export dropped from N26 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 to N5.3 billion in the second quarter of 2026, according to National Bureau of Statistics data. This is after recording zero exports in 2025 and first quarter 2026. The sharp decline in exports is owing to the blight disease outbreak and rising production costs have pushed local prices above international rates. Currently, a metric tonne of fresh ginger sells for N5.2 million ($3,851), while dried split ginger sells for N11.5 million ($8,518) per tonne, 184 percent more than the international market price of $3,000 per tonne. 'Most exporters have yet to resume exporting ginger since 2023,' said Abdulsalam Ahmad, chief executive officer of Tripe Gee Merchant Nigeria Limited. 'The industry is yet to recover, and now with the return of the blight disease, the situation will worsen,' he said. 'The government needs to act fast to address it and prevent it from spreading to other key states such as Nasarawa and Plateau,' he advised. The government in June, launched the Ginger Value Chain Recovery and Sustainability Programme, a major intervention aimed at restoring Nigeria's ginger industry. Nigeria's ginger industry, valued at $713 million (N962.5 billion), according to FAO, has suffered from a combination of issues ranging from disease outbreaks to worsening insecurity and rising input costs. Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date Open In Whatsapp