According to data Ginger production in Kerala is in the doldrums. Even as India witnesses an 8-fold increase in exports.
The total ginger production in India was 21.20 lakh tons in 2021-22. In the same year, the country exported 1.48 lakh tons of ginger worth Rs 837.34 crore. While in 2018-19, the exports were at 18,150 tons and fetched Rs 196.02 crore.
Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, West Bengal. Also Odisha, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Meghalaya are the major states producing ginger.
Kerala’s track record shows a gloomy picture as production declined by 37 percent over the last four years.
According to the Spices Board figures, the production in the state was at 86,270 tons in the 2017-18 period. But, in 2021-22, the production was at 54,260 tons.
The majority involved are small-scale farmers. The unavailability of adequate labor and higher wages attributed. As the reasons for the plummeting production. Apart from that, climate change in the state poses a challenge to the farmers.
