Production of ginger has almost been stagnant at around 80,000 tonnes for the last one decade, while demand for the important and herbal spice has surged five times by this time, said insiders.
The rocketing demand has been forcing the country to import 0.5-0.6 million tonnes of ginger worth billions of Tk annually, they added.
Ginger production reached 82,152 tonnes in the last financial year (FY) 2021-22, which was 81,715 tonnes in FY 21, and 84,887 tonnes in FY 20, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data.
The BBS data also showed that the spice production was 77,052 tonnes and 83,004 tonnes in FY 14 and FY 15 respectively, which was almost the same like that in the new decade.
According to the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), the country's demand for ginger was 0.15 million tonnes in FY 10, which increased to 0.5-0.6 million tonnes in FY 22.
The MoC sources said ginger import from India, China and some African countries costs the country Tk 25-40 billion annually, depending on its global prices.
Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) asst director T M Rashed Khan said common consumers had been paying Tk 120 a kg on an average to buy ginger for the last five years. Its retail price even hit Tk 300 a kg often.
He noted that until 2000s, ginger was hugely produced in Rangpur region, especially in Nilphamari district.
Nilphamari farmers gradually shifted to cultivating summer vegetables, Aman and other crops, instead of ginger, amid low profit margin.
He also said Chittagong and the hilly districts are now the major source for local ginger, while its production dropped drastically in the northern regions.
Chittagong region produced nearly 35,000 tonnes of ginger, while Rangpur and Dinajpur regions jointly produced about 20,000 tonnes in 2022.
Prof Md Abdul Hamid, chairman of Agrarian Research Foundation, Bangladesh (ARF), said the country achieved a 213 per cent cropping intensity in last one decade.
But farmers' lack of interest to grow ginger (as it takes 160-180 days to get the tuber spice), attack of diseases, and almost no help from the government agencies concerned caused such dull condition in its production.
The ginger plant needs intensive care, as water-logging for only a few days could severely hamper its production, he noted.
In return, the farmers in the northern regions can hardly make their desired profit, which forced many of them to give up ginger farming.
Prof Hamid also said farmers in the hilly areas are able to make profit, as they also grow some other crops with ginger at the same time.
"Without lucrative incentives, farmers on the plane may not be interested anymore to grow ginger."
The ARF chairman opined that the demand for ginger would grow by 10-12 per cent year-on-year basis amid its rising importance as a herb among health conscious people apart from its use as a kitchen spice.
Maximum 0.1 million farmers are now involved in ginger farming.
"If the Ministry of Agriculture allocates only Tk 200 million as incentive among the ginger farmers, its production can be tripled just in five years," he added.
