Southern Kaduna; Nigeria’s largest commercial hub of ginger

Kagarko, Kachia, Jema’a and Jaba LGAs of Kaduna state in Northern Nigeria served as the largest ginger cultivating area in the country. Buyers from across the country and abroad, mostly from India, Pakistan, America, Sudan, Chad among others, based in Kafanchan to settle with their suppliers, whom in turn rallied the three LGAs mentioned above, to buy, sort, trashed, cleaned and loaded to various states mainly; Lagos, kano, Borno, Yobe and Taraba states.
Initially, its activities were only noticeable in some areas but now, it has become widespread and almost all the street in Kafanchan metropolis are doing the work.
At least fifteen trailers are loaded with re-cleaned 40Kg bags of ginger every week, each containing 26 to 28 tones (700 to 725 bags), MetroNews gathered.
One of the dealers, Hamisu Sulaiman Tijjani, (former PDP secretary, Jema’a LGA), told MetroNews that “I have been in the business in the last 30 years.





“Initially the labourers were from Sokoto state that was in 1960s when their parents were buying each bag at the coast of N50. But now, apart from our children and our brothers, people come from far and near northern states in every season to earn a living through the ginger value chain, people comes from Sokoto, kano, Kaduna, Zamfara and Katsina states, and they are making money from the job”. He said that if the business is favorable, he is loading two trailers of ginger to sell in every week, going by the demand.
He said when the consumers give them full or half-payments of the tones they wish to buy, they, in turn, distributes it to the suppliers that goes round the bushes and villages that are cultivating the ginger and buy directly from the farmers. Many categories of people are benefitting from the job. “The business has done everything to me,” said Hamisu Sulaiman.
Alhaji Ibrahim Salihu Tahir is one of the Ginger’s dealers in kafanchan. He said that he has opened his eyes seeing his parent doing the business but he is on his own for almost 10 years now. He told MetroNews that he is using his money and share it to the suppliers and when he finished cleaning the ginger, the Indians come and check its quality “I used to load four to five trailers in every week” he added.
Not only people of kafanchan are benefitting, many are flooding from various states to do the job and a lot of people – farmers, dealers, suppliers, drivers, watchmen and labourers are making money when the season starts.
Aminu Salihu Tahir, a father of three said that when the dealers provided them with money they go round the villages that were harvesting the ginger like, Maraban Walijo (Kachia LGA), Kubacha (Kagarko LGA), Kwoi (Jaba LGA) among others in the three Local Government Areas to buy the ginger and return to Kafanchan to cleaned and then supply it to the dealers.
“We are making our profit according to the price they gave us, and how we find it in the market because sometimes the market is going up and down with no standard price. It is when we finished our work and bagged, that we are going to understand that we have gain or loss but thanks to God because I am doing a lot of things from the business.”
Umar Ibrahim Qaya, 32, father of two, who bags and stacks, told MetroNews “I am from Qaya village, Giwa Local Government Area, Kaduna state. I used to come to kafanchan every year when the season of ginger begins.
“I have spent six years now doing bagging and staking. When the work is at its peak, I can bag 50 to 100 bags a day but when the work is not favorable i do 10 to 40 bags each, at the cost of N60. If you calculate, it is something affordable.
“I have settled my debts in our village and start farming ginger there because I want to be on my feet and start combining farming and marketing of ginger.”
Women and children are also benefitting from the job.
Florence James, said she had been in the business since 2004 when they were paid N15 to remove stones, moles and wet ginger from the dry ones per bag.
“But now we were paid N80 in each bag.”
Florence, 43, added that, “I funded myself getting a diploma in Conflicts Management from this work (thrashing and picking of ginger). I own Hair Dressing Salon and I am sponsoring the education of my four children, all courtesy of this work, it has done a lot to me.”
Zainab Isah, a housewife, told MetroNews that her business is to buy the bags of ‘dust’ of ginger after it was thrashed. She said that she has spent 3 years doing the business and is very profitable.
“I bought motorcycle and give to Okada Rider and I’m supporting my children’s education, all in this business,” said Fatima, a 25-year-old housewife. She further stated that though, in every business there is gain and loss, but she is making it in a good way.
Hayatu Babangida Bangis, 36, travelled all the way from Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto state every year for 25 consecutive years to kafanchan in order to do the business.
“I used to buy small quantity of ginger; two to three measure, half-bag or in polythene bag till I filled the bags.
I make profit from N1000 to N4000 per bag,” he said that the business done well to him “I own farms; I built house in our village and married to two wives. I have five children and I am sponsoring their education, all from the business.”
Speaking to MetroNews, Sani M. Sani, twelve-year old student, who was in junior secondary school said that he use to come for the work only on holidays and weekends.
“We are making a lot of money from the work. I am doing it together with my brothers. We are doing 20 bags in a day (N80 each bag) whatever we earned, we normally take it to our mother at home on which she use to buy us clothes, shoes, uniforms and other learning materials”
“I am a student and my dream is to become a lawyer, insha Allah” he added.
Abdullahi Idrisu, 13 years old child who is in primary two, told MetroNews that he is earning N200 to N500 per day from the work. “I am here only on holidays. Whatever I got, I am taking it to my parents after I spend some because my mother uses to buy me Kayan Salla (Sallah Clothes) with the rest of the money”.
Yohanna Usman, a farmer from Gidan Mana in Kachia Local Government revealed to MetroNews that they are gaining enough in dry season than rainy season.
“We used to sell one bag of dried ginger from N20, 000 to N25, 000 but now, in this rainy season, we are selling at N7, 000 to N8, 000 naira per bag,” he said.
“Our problem now is that government didn’t supply us with sufficient fertilizer.”
Chairman, (BoT), Kaduna State Ginger and Turmeric Marketers Association, Alhaji Muhammed Kabir Qasim disclosed to MetroNews that in the past two and half decades, ginger were sold at N4, 000 per ton but now is rise from N600, 000 to N650, 000 according to its quality. If you calculate the maximum of N600, 000 to 26 ton per trailer it will give you N15, 600, 000 from Kafanchan to Lagos per truck. But the truck loads 26 to 28 tons. He said that the business impact positively on the society for its boost the economics of the society and the nation at large.
“The marketers are now farming the ginger for its empowers the aged and the youths”. He, however, pointed the problems they were facing saying “lack of proper coordination between agents and the major buyers gives rise to the increasing of the commodity thus the demand is higher than the supply.”
He further lamented “though we are the major and only source of Nigerian dried split ginger in the country, but the major buyers, mostly foreigners, are trying to control the market price.”
He therefore called on the Federal and State government to support them with the capital worth’s, in doing the business for “it is veritable source of incomes to the government at all levels”. He concluded.