Ginger Farmers Seek Fubara’s Support

Members of the Rivers State Ginger farmers Association have called on the state Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to support the association in providing mechanised modern equipment as the planting season begins in the state.
The South South National Vice President of the group, Evangelist Gold E. Ekine made the call while speaking with journalists at the end of a five-day sensitisation and awareness capacity workshop organised for selected members of the association drawn from the 23 local government areas of the State held at Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rumuola over the weekend.
Mrs Ekine while highlighting the importance of ginger farming opined that it is will promote the economic growth and development of the state, stressing that ginger farming if embraced will become alternative substitute to oil and gas exploration as it has same economic value in the international market with oil.
The South South national vice president who also doubles as the state president of the association appealed to the state governor to also provide land for members in all the 23 LGAs for mechanised farming as well as grant support to enable them purchase their seedlings for the commencement of planting.
She disclosed that the state has has been lagging behind due to inadequate government support and urged the governor to come to their help.
“ By February and March 2025, our planting season will commence and we are begging the state Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, our father to help us with tractors and land across the 23 LGAs for us to plant in a large quantity as well as financial grant to enable us purchase seedlings. Our seedlings come from the northern part of the country and will are optimistic that our state will begin to benefit from the economic benefits inherent in the ginger farming. Ginger is called gold on the ground and it is competitive with oil and gas in the international market and should be seen as second option to oil, a price of a ton of ginger is almost the same with the price of a ton of oil in the international market”, she stated.
According to her, the state government can expand her internally generated Revenue ( IGR) through the production and supporting of ginger farming in the state and also create employment opportunities to the teeming unemployed people in the state, adding that there are already waiting buyers at the international market.
She disclosed that the essence of the five-day training was to teach members of the association new methods to improve on their skills as the new planting season draws closer.
The state president of Ginger Farmers Association used the opportunity to call on all ginger farmers in the state to join the association so that together they can make the group stronger and advance forward.
Also speaking, one of the facilitators and a senior lecturer in the institution, Dr Chijioke Okere urged the participants to be serious with the training, so as to improve their economic wellbeing and also become wealth and job providers in the state.

By: Akujobi Amadi