The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, have launched the Ginger Value Chain Recovery and Sustainability Programme, a major intervention aimed at restoring Nigeria’s ginger industry following the devastating ginger blight epidemic that crippled production across key growing areas.
The programme was unveiled at the headquarters of NRCRI in Umudike, Abia State on Friday, where government officials, researchers, development partners, commodity associations and private sector stakeholders gathered to chart a sustainable path for the recovery and transformation of the country’s ginger value chain.
The Ginger Value Chain Recovery and Sustainability Program is an integral part of the NADF Ginger roadmap, developed after the Ginger blight epidemic.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, on Friday, the General Manager, Technical Services, Ernest Ihedigbo, described the initiative as a landmark demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning agriculture as a driver of economic diversification, food security, industrial development and export competitiveness under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said the unveiling of the programme and the formalisation of the partnership with NRCRI reaffirmed NADF’s mandate as the Federal Government’s catalytic financing institution dedicated to translating agricultural policies into sustainable investments that strengthen research, innovation and national food sovereignty.
According to him, agricultural transformation cannot be achieved without strong research institutions, modern technologies and strategic investments that connect scientific discoveries with production and markets.
Ihedigbo disclosed that NADF is implementing two flagship interventions to support the sector. The first focuses on strengthening selected agricultural research institutes as Centres of Excellence through investments in modern laboratories, biotechnology facilities, renewable energy systems, irrigation infrastructure, digital platforms and innovation hubs.
He announced that NRCRI had been selected as the South-East beneficiary in the first phase of the programme and would receive support for energy and digital infrastructure as well as laboratory equipment installation and maintenance.
The intervention, he explained, is expected to strengthen research infrastructure, improve the capacity of scientists and researchers, promote demand-driven research, deepen linkages between research institutions and farmers, facilitate the commercialisation of agricultural technologies and foster partnerships with leading international research organisations.
The second intervention, the Ginger Value Chain Recovery and Sustainability Programme, is specifically designed to rebuild the ginger industry after the 2023 ginger blight epidemic, which severely disrupted production, affected thousands of farmers, reduced export earnings and exposed structural weaknesses within the value chain.
Under the programme, NADF will provide six metric tonnes of ginger rhizomes alongside infrastructure for germplasm conservation, disease-free seed multiplication, tissue culture propagation, adaptive field preservation and sustainable seed system development.
Ihedigbo also revealed that NADF had previously played a key role in the Federal Government’s Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce through the implementation of the Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment (GRATE) Programme.
Through the intervention, about 6,000 farmers in Kaduna, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory received improved seeds, production inputs for alternative crops and support for integrated pest management strategies aimed at containing the disease outbreak and restoring livelihoods.
“Moving beyond social impact interventions, the Ginger Value Chain Recovery and Sustainability Programme is designed to drive recovery, resilience and long-term transformation of the ginger sub-sector,” he said.
Representing the Abia State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Cliff Agbeze, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Ijeoma Adamma Agoha, described the partnership between NADF and NRCRI as evidence of the power of strategic collaboration.