Ginger farmers upset in lack of reasonable price

Kathmandu,Feb-28

The ginger farmers of Nawalparasi East, who cultivated ginger commercially, were unable to sell ginger this year due to the fall in its price.

The ginger farmers became worried due to not getting reasonable price of dried ginger this year as compared to last year. Bulingtar, Bundikali, Hupsekot and Binayi Tribeni Rural Municipality of Nawalparasi East are a pocket area of ginger. Min Bahadur Ale Magar, a farmer of Jaubari, said that due to the fall in the price of ginger every year, even the farmers involved in its cultivation are affected. Rup Bahadur Thapa Magar, a ginger farmer of Bulingtar, said that it was hard to sell 2.5 kgs of dried ginger at Rs. 550 this year while it was sold at Rs. 1,000 last year.

At present, many farmers are storing ginger at home without even selling it, hoping that the price will increase, while some farmers have already started selling it cheap, said Aam Bahadur Thapa, a ginger trader. Being unable to get reasonable price, farmers here have already dried ginger and kept it at home, while some of them are busy drying it. In Nawalparasi East, ginger worth up to Rs. 300 million is produced every year, but due to the fluctuations in the price, the farmers who cultivate it are disappointed.

If the price does not increase this year, farmers will not be able to earn as much as expected, said farmer Hari Bahadur Saru. Nearly 7,000 farmers from 20 wards of four rural municipalities of Nawalparasi East, four wards of Devchuli Municipality, four wards of Gaindakot Municipality, five wards of Madhyabindu Municipality and three wards of Kawasoti Municipality are engaged in commercial ginger cultivation. Gopal Lamichhane, chief of the district agricultural knowledge centre, said that the centre provides necessary technical support to ginger farmers and will continue to provide other support as well.

In Nawalparasi East, which is a fertile area for ginger cultivation, only if the farmers can be more attracted towards this crop, there can be a big change in the economic condition.