Olam plans to make Nigeria`s ginger competitive with skills transfer

Olam Nigeria, a leading agricultural commodity company, has put in place collaborative plans with farmers in Kaduna State that will lead to the increase in the value of ginger crop produced in the state.

The company disclosed that it is working in collaboration with National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) and the Kaduna Agricultural Development Project (KADP) in the execution of the plans.

As part of the execution of the plans, the company has concluded a day skills and knowledge transfer programme for about 500 ginger farmers in Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna state.

In his address at a training workshop for ginger farmers, Dip Sinha, regional manager of the company, stated that the plan was conceived as an avenue to empower the farmers to produce world-class ginger.

According to him, the programme is also geared at providing a platform for dissemination of knowledge and resolving all queries regarding fertilizer, and herbicide application, in addition to equipping the farmers with the best harvest, and post harvest handling practices.

“Ginger is an integral part of Olam `s spices and vegetable ingredient development initiative floated to deal directly with farmers and local, as well as global market.

“The primarily objective of the initiative is to stimulate a quality control and testing procedure window that will ensure sustainable crop production, handling and storage practices from the farm gate here in Nigeria to the doorstep of our customers worldwide.

“Over 500 ginger farmers drawn from Katchia, Jaba, and Jama local government Areas are participating in the training,” he added.

Sinha pointed out that the initiative would boost farmers’ income by providing constant and reliable channels for productivity and support to local economy.

Commenting further on the training, the regional manager revealed that the programme was executed in collaboration with NRCRI, KADP, and National Ginger Farmers` Association.

Addressing at the occasion also, James Dutse, who represented the Kaduna state commissioner for agriculture, described ginger farming as an activity that is the lifeblood of the people in the southern part of the state.

Dutse noted that the move by Olam to impact knowledge and skills that ensure value addition to commodity was a welcome development.

Ben Kure, chairman, National Ginger Farmers Association commended Olam for the initiative, adding that the effort has succeeded in bringing ginger farmers together to enhance the quality of the commodity.

One of the highlights of the training programme was an interface between the farmers and Victor Dabel, station manager, NRCRI, in charge of Kaduna, on best practices in ginger production.

The outpour of the interest of the benefiting farmers in the initiative was demonstrated with the presence of Danladi Gyet Maude, who represented the Emir of Jaba.

Olam Nigeria Limited is a subsidiary of Olam International, which is a leading supply chain manager agricultural commodity in 70 countries globally.

The company is also a global leader in farming, processing, risk management and customer services of agricultural commodities in 47 different products including sesame, cashew, cocoa, rice, cotton, and ginger, among others.