Things you never know about Ginger

The role of ginger production in the economic development of Nigeria

BY JULIET DANBOYI LASS

Origin

Names of ginger

Common name –Ginger

Latin name –Zingiber officianale

Hausa name –Chitta

Igbo name – Jinja

Yoruba name – Atale, orin

Idoma name- Egbo otuta

Other names

African Ginger, Amomum Zingiber, Ardraka, Black Ginger, Cochin Ginger, Gan Jiang, Gingembre, Ginger Essential Oil, Ginger Root, Imber, Indian Ginger, Jamaica Ginger, Jengibre, Jiang, Kankyo, Kanshokyo, Nagara, Race Ginger, Rhizoma Zingiberi, Rhizoma Zingiberis, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, Shen Jiang, Sheng Jiang, Shoga, Shokyo, Shunthi, Srungavera, Sunth, Sunthi, Vishvabheshaja, Zingiber Officinale, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Zingiberis Siccatum Rhizoma, Zinzeberis, Zinziber Officinale, Zinziber Officinalis.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) belongs to the family of Zingiberaceae. It is a slender perennial plant with thick and branched underground stem (rhizome). Ginger is a tropical plant that has green-purple flowers and an aromatic underground stem called the rhizome. It is used as a spice and also as a medicine. It can be used fresh, dried and powdered, or as a juice or oil.Ginger like onion and garlic contain many beneficial nutrients to the human body it contains volatile oils composed of zingerone, shogaols, citral, and glutamic acid.  It is a spice grown across many climates in the world. Ginger originate from India, and was introduced to Africa and Caribbean by colonial masters. It got to Nigeria in 1972, its cultivation started around Kwoi, Kubacha, Kafanchan and Kagoro around southern Kaduna state and parts of plateau state. In recent times its cultivation has been introduced to south eastern and south western agricultural zones of Nigeria namely Cross river, Akwa ibom, Rivers, Abia and Imo states. There are two major varieties cultivated in Nigeria which differ in colour of their rhizomes namely the reddish and yellowish varieties. The yellowish variety appears to be widely grown than the reddish veriety. The various cultivars include UG1, UG2 and Maran. The UG1 (locally called Tafin Biri meaning Monkey's foot) yield higher than UG2 (locally called Yatsun biri meaning monkey’s fingers) which was reported to be more pungent it is cultivated vegetative through its rhizomes

USDA nutritional constituent of Ginger per 100g (fresh)

Principal	Nutrient value
Energy	80Kcal
Carbohydrates	17.77g
Protein	1.82g
Total fat	0.7g
Cholesterol	0mg
Dietary fiber	2.0g
Niacin	0.750mg
Folates	11mg
Pantothenic acid	0.203mg
Pyridoxine	0.160g
Vitamin  A	0iu
Vitamin C	5mg
Vitamin  E	0.26mg
Vitamin  K	0.1mg
Sodium	13mg
Potassium	415mg
Calcium	16mg
Iron	0.60mg
Magnesium	43 mg
Manganese	0.229mg
Phosphorus	34mg
Zinc	0.34mg

Cultivation

In areas of Kaduna where ginger is extensively grown in Nigeria, beds are preferred for rain fed ginger production while planting on ridges is recommended for irrigated ginger. Rhizome for planting should be cut into small pieces, each having at least 2 good buds or growing points and should posses the following;

·       Planting weigh; 5 - 10 g.

·       Planting dept; 4 - 5 cm

·       Planting distance; 20 by 20 cm to give a plant population of 250,000/ ha.

It is expected that ginger should be planted early, March/April in the rainforest zone and April/May in the savannah zone of Nigeria to have enough rain for its 7 – 8 months of field life. Application of heavy mulch, about 5 cm thick with materials such as dry grass, dry leaves and rice husk that will not decay within the first three months after planting, is recommended.

Nutrient requirement and fertilizer use

Fertility class	Nutrient	Fertilizer rate (kgha-1)	Fertilizer source
Low Medium High	Nkgha-1 45 25 10	100kg(2bags) 55kg(1bag) 22kg(0.5bag)	Urea Urea Urea
Low Medium High	Pkgha-1 20 10 5	47Kg P2O5 or294kg of SSP 35Kg P2O5 or219kg of SSP 12 KgP2O5 or75kg of SSP	SSP SSP SSP
Low Medium High	K kgha-1 50 30 20	60kg K2O or 100kg of MOP 36kg K2O or 60kg of MOP 24kg K2O or 40kg of MOP	MOP MOP

The fertilizer should be applied in broadcast in two doses, half at land preparation and the 2^nd at 12 WAP.

Weed control

 The herbicide recommendations for ginger

Herbicide	Rate a.i (kg ha-1)	Time of Application
Fluometouron + alachlor	0.75 + 0.75	Pre- emergence
Fluometouron	1.5 + 1.50	-do-
Chloramben	1.5-30	-do-
Chloramben + alachlor	1.5- 30	-do-
Oxadizone	0.75 + 0.75	-do-

Supplementary weeding may be required at 8 -12 weeks after planting.

 Yields of 8-10tons ha^-1 may be obtained under farmers conditions depending on sett size and good management.           

Contribution to the Nigerian economy

To Health & Nutrition

• Ginger has been found to be helpful in blocking the harmful effects of prostaglandin, a substance that can lead to inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain and even cause migraines.
• Ginger has been associated with alleviation of the feeling of nausea, even in case of pregnant women.
• Ginger helps to promote warmth in the upper respiratory tract and thus, is quite effective in treating cold and flu.
• Those suffering from cramps, caused by stomach gas, have found ginger to be quite effective.
• Ginger makes the platelets less sticky and is thus, pretty helpful in case of circulatory disorders.
• Even ginger tea is said to be a great stress buster and has been found to have refreshing properties.
• Ginger is a natural and effective mouth freshener and also aids digestion.
• Ginger also helps to lower cholesterol.
• Ginger is good for those suffering from gas and bloating.
• Ginger is believed to have anti-cancer properties.  
• Ginger is quite effective in treating diarrhoea.
• Some people pour the fresh ginger juice on their skin to treat burns. The oil made from ginger is applied to the skin to relieve pain.

Medicinal values                                             

1. As an anti-inflammatory: The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger make it effective for decreasing joint pain in people with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis, menstrual cramps and mitigation of headache.
2.        As a Medication for diabetes: Ginger might decrease blood sugar. Taking ginger along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely.  
3. Medications for high blood pressure: Ginger might reduce blood pressure in a way that is similar to some medications for blood pressure and heart disease. Ginger can be used as a substitute to blood pressure medication.
4.  Substitute: Using ginger along with herbs that might slow blood clotting could increase the risk of bleeding in some people. These herbs include garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, red clover, turmeric, and others.

To national income

According to the latest report from the FAO Nigeria harvested area for ginger is 196000ha producing about 14000tons per annum. Which 10% (1400tons) of ginger is consumed locally as fresh and dried ginger, while 90% (12600tons) are dried for export. The markets for ginger export include United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Russia, France, United States of America, Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia among others.

Total global area/quantity of ginger production

Countries	Area under cultivation (%)	Production (%)
Nigeria	56.23	12.54
India	33.7	32.75
Indonesia	3.37	22.5
China	4.47	21.41
Bangladesh	2.32	10.80

Prices of ginger local and export values

Local price NGN 370000-45000ton (depending on the quality and period of year)

Value of total production NGN72.32bl

 Value of total production NGN72.32bl

Export price USD2500-3500ton

Total Export value USD47, 580,000 (which is its contribution to the national income)

Recommendations

Ginger should be used as one of the modules in NPFS site as it has a high economic value and global recognition. As it increase the means of lively hood of the farmers and as well increase the GDP of Nigerian as ginger is on high demand by Asian countries.

Conclusion

Ginger should be consumed regularly by Nigerians as it has high medicinal and nutritional values.