It is a season of joy for the ginger growers in Samdrup Jongkhar. Following continuous complaints over low price for the crop for the last few years, they are finally witnessing a huge surge in the price this time. A kilogram of ginger fetches up to Nu 100, which the farmers say is the highest so far. This rise in the price seems to give the farmers the much-needed boost to continue farming. Ginger is one of the main cash crops for the farmer there.
Most of the farmers and local traders sell ginger to exporters at the Samdrup Jongkhar auction yard.
The farmers say the price of ginger fell drastically to below Nu 30 during the COVID-19 pandemic. This left them feeling uncertain about whether to continue cultivating the crop or not.
“We harvest ginger only once a year and it is encouraging to get a good price. Before, the maximum we could earn was Nu 30 per kilogram. I started harvesting the little I cultivated when I heard the price is good this time,” said Karma Lhamo, a farmer from Dewathang Gewog.
Some farmers added that even prior to the pandemic, a kilogram of the crop hardly fetched Nu 60.
“Usually, the price would not cross beyond Nu 60 per kilogram. But this time, it has surged beyond our expectations. It is Nu 100 for a kilogram. This is encouraging for us. Even those selling one to two sacks of ginger could make up to Nu 4,000,” added Tshewang Tashi, a farmer from Pemathang Gewog.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we used to earn Nu 30 per kilogram, that too if the ginger is of good quality. This time, the price has increased drastically to as high as Nu 115 per kilogram initially. Now we get Nu 100. So, this has revived everyone’s interest in cultivating ginger. In Martshala Gewog, most of the villagers cultivate ginger,” said Tshering Wangdi, one of the ginger growers from Martshala Gewog.
Some ginger exporters attribute the rise in price this time to poor production in India. They say most of the ginger in India got damaged by the heavy rainfall last year resulting in low production this season.
According to the agriculture survey report 2021, Samdrup Jongkhar is the country’s highest ginger-producing district. The farmers there produced more than 2000 metric tons of ginger in 2021.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Phub Gyem
