Nigeria eyes $7.5b global ginger market

Nigeria’s ginger export industry is positioning itself for a strong rebound in 2026, buoyed by renewed international technical support, fresh investment, and stepped-up security measures in key farming belts.

The global ginger market is projected to expand from $4.41 billion to $7.50 billion by 2033, recording a compound annual growth rate of 6.08 per cent between this year and 2033, according to the Ginger Market: Players Analysis, Recent Developments, Strategies, Sustainability, Product Launches, Key Persons, and Revenue Forecasts report published by ResearchAndMarkets.com. The report attributed the growth to rising demand for ginger in food and beverages, health supplements, traditional medicine, and the increasing preference for natural remedies, alongside its growing use in the food service industry.

Nigeria, which produced an estimated 726,000 to 781,000 metric tons annually between 2021 and 2023, ranks as the world’s second or third-largest ginger producer. However, the sector suffered a major setback in 2023 when a fungal epidemic, commonly referred to as ginger blight, wiped out more than 90 per cent of farms in major producing states such as Kaduna, Plateau, and Nasarawa.

The impact was severe, with ginger exports falling by 74 per cent in the first nine months of 2024 compared with the previous year.

After what industry stakeholders describe as a tumultuous period marked by disease and regional instability, the sector is now entering a “transformation phase” aimed at restoring Nigeria’s position as a leading supplier of high-pungency ginger to the global market.

A central pillar of this recovery is the Nigeria Ginger Sustainability Programme, a partnership between the Netherlands’ Centre for the Promotion of Imports (CBI) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC). The programme has entered its final scaling phase, offering intensive export coaching to 17 selected Nigerian small and medium-sized enterprises. The companies have received training on European Union food safety requirements, corporate social responsibility standards, and sustainable farming practices. The positive outlook for 2026 is also being driven by coordinated efforts to address insecurity and revive production in affected areas. The Federal Government recently launched the Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment initiative, backed by a ₦1.6 billion intervention fund. The programme targets the restoration of about 15,000 farmers in Kaduna, Plateau, and Nasarawa states, regions that recorded yield losses of up to 90 per cent in 2023.