It's been a long time since the last "surge in ginger prices". This year the price rate was stable. However, ginger prices started increasing recently because of the troubles with supply sources and other factors. It was mainly caused by farmers who raised prices. At the moment, there is not much ginger in the South: some in Hunan's warehouses, and some in Fujian. There is more ginger in Shandong province than in the South, but because of the farmers, supply of goods is difficult, so the prices continue to grow.
Since farmers started to bump up the prices and distributors have been having problems with supplies, the situation became messy. Both sellers and buyers are haggling over prices, but they have not achieved any results yet and the number of deals are few and far between. It's unlikely that the farmers' mood can be changed easily. Besides, right now they are in the midst of a busy season and they don't have much time for haggling. That's why we should expect this whole situation with ginger supplies and prices to continue.
Source: LZBS