Ginger production in Kerala is in doldrums even as India witnesses 8-fold increase in exports. The total ginger production in India was at 2.12 mln tons in 2021-22. In the same year, the country exported 148,000 tons of ginger worth Rs 8.37 bln (€100.44). Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya are the major ginger producing states.
For Kerala, quite a gloomy picture is emerging now as production declined by 37 per cent over the last four years. According to the Spices Board figures, the production in the state was at 86,270 ton in 2017-18 period. However, in 2021-22, the production was at 54,260 ton.
The majority involved are small scale farmers. The unavailability of adequate labor and higher wages were attributed as the reasons for the plummeting production. Apart from that, climate change in the state poses challenge to the farmers.
Source: english.mathrubhumi.com
