ILAM: Rising ginger prices have encouraged farmers in Ilam to expand cultivation, with many shifting from traditional crops to commercial ginger farming.
Farmer Deshraj Limbu of Mangsebung Rural Municipality-2 earned Rs 315,000 by selling ginger last year. He sold baby ginger at Rs 4,500 per maund (40 kg). “Last year, both the price and production of ginger were high, so the income was also good,” he said.
Limbu cultivated ginger on five ropanis of land, producing 90 maunds. He kept 20 maunds for seed and sold the rest. This year, he has planted 20 maunds of seed ginger and expects to produce 120 maunds. “If the price remains similar to last year, I expect to earn more than Rs 500,000 this year,” he said.
Another farmer from Mangsebung-2, Rajkumar Rai, earned about Rs 200,000 from ginger sales last year. He sold 50 maunds at Rs 4,000 per maund and has planted 20 maunds this year.
“The income from ginger helps cover household expenses and my children’s education,” he said. “Since we have expanded cultivation this year, we hope to save money from next year onward.”
Farmer Teju Rai of Mangsebung-3 has planted 60 maunds of ginger seed this year. He has started commercial farming on 10 ropanis of land and said many farmers in the district are increasingly attracted to ginger cultivation.
According to local farmers, many have reduced paddy and other crop cultivation because of the higher returns from ginger. The price of ginger, which was around Rs 4,500 per maund during the harvest season, has now increased to Rs 7,000 per maund. The Agricultural Knowledge Center said farmers have been encouraged by the reasonable prices received for both baby ginger and mature ginger.
Local trader Ram Javegu said mature ginger is currently selling for Rs 7,000 per maund in Dhulabari, Jhapa, and about Rs 6,000 per maund in Ilam.
“Farmers benefit twice, as they earn separately from baby ginger and again from mature ginger,” he said. Farmers in the area cultivate three varieties of ginger: large, medium, and small. Mature ginger is generally sold until October, while the main marketing season extends from Kartik to Jestha.
Besides Ilam Bazaar, ginger from the district is supplied to markets including Biblyate, Mangalbare, Gajurmukhi, Chature, Mangsebung, Pashupatinagar, Danbari, and Harkate.
According to the Agricultural Knowledge Center, commercial ginger farming is carried out on 3,221 hectares in Ilam. The district produced 50,620 metric tons of ginger last year.
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