Overview

OVERVIEW OF GINGER

Table 1: Scientific Classification of Ginger

Kingdom	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family	Zingiberaceae
Genus:	Zingiber
Species:	Z.officinale

Binomial name: Zingiberofficinale Roscoe

Ginger (Zingiberofficinale), is the most popular hot spice in the world. It is a monocotyledonous plant thatproduces rhizomes. However, the rhizome is not a true root as it is the case with cassava (Manihotesculenta) but a modified underground stem similar to yam (Dioscoreaspp) which produces stem tubers. It is a perennial herb but treated as an annual crop under cultivation. Ginger is about 35-100 cm tall with heavily branched rhizomes called “races” or “hands” and branches called “finger”. Flowering is not common but when they occur, inflorescence arises directly from the root stock. The lance-shaped leaves are bright green, 15 - 20 cm (6-8 in) long, with a prominent longitudinal rib, enclosing conical clusters of small yellow-green flowers marked with purple speckles.                                                              

A typical ginger plant can be identified by the following structures via

·        Slender plant with longitudinal leaf sheath, broad at the leaf base and ends in a tail like tip

·        Simple pinnate leaf with parallel venations

·        Height ranges between 30 – 100 cm

·        Robust branched underground root (rhizome)

·        Rhizomes lie horizontally close to the soil surface ( 2 -5 cm deep)

·        Inflorescence  is a terminal spike

·        Rhizome is thick and hard resembling the structure of human palm with branches

   World Ginger Production                            

Ginger is an important commercial crop grown in many countries of the world for its aromatic rhizomes, used both as a spice and for medicinal purposes. In the 1980s, ginger world production was estimated at 100,000tons. Other sources projected production to grow from 300,000tons in 1980 to 500,000tons in 1990 and 600,000tons in 1998.

            In 1996-97, India alone produced 232,510tons on 70,910 hectares, and exported 28,321t in 1997-1998. In 2008, the total production of ginger worldwide was estimated to be 1,605,444mt with total area harvested of 421,336 Ha. However, there has been increase of 39% of world ginger production from 2001 to 2009 (FAOSTAT, 2010). India, China, Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines and Thailand are currently the main producers of ginger in the world.Three leading exporting countries in 2000 were China, Thailand, and Brazil. World production of ginger oil, mainly from India and China, was estimated at 30 tons in 1998 and 100-200 tons in 2000, with the major importing countries being United States, Europe and Japan. Oleoresin produced in 1980s was estimated at 150tons, most of which is produced by the consuming countries, European Union and the United States.

World ginger production status, 2008

Source: FAOSTAT 2008

 Leading Ginger Producing countries(2010)

   African Ginger Production Trend

Ginger thrives very well in Africa and is majorly produced in the following African countries; Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d’ivoire, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Ghana and Uganda.African ginger has some distinct characteristics; it is darker in colour and higher in monoterpene content, giving it a more pungent aroma with camphoraceous notes; it has a high oil content and level of pungency, hence, it is usually preferred for the production of oils and oleoresins. 

Table 2: Top 5 Ginger Producing Countries in Africa

Rank	Country	Production (mt)
1	Nigeria	160,000
2	Cameroon	40,000
3	Cote d’ Ivoire	8139
4	Ethiopia	7746
5	Mauritius	748

Source: FAOSTAT 2011.

From the table above, Nigeria is the leading producer of ginger in Africa with a total production estimated at 160,000mt, followed by Cameroon with a total production of 40,000mt. Nigeria’s production is four times the production of Cameroon which is the second highest ginger producer in Africa.