Chinese ginger plantations are distributed over Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning, Hunan, and Anhui. The surface area devoted to ginger plantation in China began to increase in 2013 and has increased every year since then. In 2017 the surface area devoted to ginger plantation reached 255,333 hectares, which was an increase of around 9% in comparison with 2016. The main production areas in Shandong measured 75,333 hectares in 2016, which increased by 13.27% to 85,333 hectares in 2017.
The surface area of ginger plantations in Hebei and Liaoning increased from 2906 hectares in 2016 by 26.61% to 3680 hectares in 2017. However, the overall production volume declined under the influence of weather and other natural conditions. The overall ginger production volume was 8.93 million in 2017, which is a decrease of around 5% in comparison with 2016.
From the beginning of 2018, ginger prices in 22 markets throughout the country suddenly increased. Plantation owners, storage owners, and wholesale traders worked together with a great degree of cooperation to maintain those circumstances.
Overall, the ginger prices in production areas are higher this year than they were last year. There are several reasons for this development. First, the overall production volume in 2017 was smaller than the overall production volume in 2016, as a result of weather conditions. The supply volume was therefore smaller. At the same time, the volume of high-quality ginger was also smaller. Second, the surface area devoted to ginger production continued to increase during 2018.
There is an increasing demand for ginger, and plantation owners use relatively high-quality ginger. As the price of high-quality ginger increases, so does the overall market price of ginger. Third, while the overall production volume of ginger decreased, it was clear to plantation owners, storage owners, and traders that ginger prices in the near future would continue to increase. They were not anxious about supply, but maintained a strong asking price.
Previous purchase conditions and current plantation conditions together suggest that the expansion of the surface area devoted to ginger production will continue in all major production areas in 2018. It is estimated that the overall surface area will increase by 15% in comparison with last year.
Source: sannong.cctv.com