Well, it didn't take long. When I was writing the first post of the year last week I wondered how long would it be before Crabbie's made an announcement. Just four days later, off licence news reported that Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer will open a ski lodge at the Outdoors Show at ExCeL London, the international exhibition and convention centre, from January 12-15. Visitors will be able to rest and sample Crabbie's products at the 1950s-inspired lodge.
The Times of India carried the story that India has thwarted an attempt by a British pharmaceutical company to patent the use of ginger as a cold treatment. The company, revealed by IBN Live to be Nicholas John Larkins (I don't know if this is correct), wanted to patent a pharmaceutical composition containing ginger and kutki (the Picrorhiza kurroa rhizome) to treat cough, bronchial asthma and lung diseases. Two august Indian bodies, the Department of Ayush and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, responded by presenting texts from the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library showing centuries of evidence that ginger and kutki are traditional remedies. Back to the drawing board.
Last April I reported on the 30-60pc markup which Pakistani retailers charged for their Chinese ginger. Now we read of a similar situation in Nepal where retailers are charging up to 45pc above the wholesale price for products such as ginger compared to the normal 10-15pc markup. The report in Fresh Plaza stated that retailers are blaming rising transportation costs.
I have wondered why Nepal exports most of its own ginger to India but then imports large amounts from China. Is it anything to do with cost or quality? Apparently, the reason is quite straightforward according to one story I've read. Transport links in rural Nepal are so inadequate that it is cheaper to import than it is to bring the produce in from the countryside. About 96pc of ginger imports come from China with the balance from Ethiopia and, surprisingly, India.
Still in Nepal, farmers from the Khotang district are switching to cultivating ginger following an improvement in the transport network, according to The Himalayan Times. As I mentioned previously, ginger is a major export crop.
If you are an importer of Chinese ginger oil you will be pleased to read in agra-net.com that the price has fallen again and is now 21pc lower than the record high set early last year.The versatile oil is used in a wide range of products from food seasoning and condiments to cosmetics, perfumes and medicines.
A report appeared last week featuring the McCormick's global Flavour Forecast for 2012. Pleasingly, one of the 12 entries is a ginger and coconut combination. I can't show you the report as it seems to have disappeared from the hosting website (not mccormick.com). Did I dream it?
Indian farmers, in a desperate bid to make windfall profits, are now adopting a risky monocrop strategy. A report in Business Standard says that farmers are putting all their eggs in one basket and allowing their traditional business instincts to be dictated solely by crop prices and margins. Now, prices and margins are important elements in any business decision but to concentrate on one crop only and then face the vagaries of the weather, pests and international competition does seem to be a little foolhardy.
I know that I'm a little bit late with this news but I thought that you would still like to read it. Buderim Ginger commissioned a survey last year which found that 89pc of Australians ate, snacked, drank or cooked with ginger products. In addition, a third of Australians consumed ginger baked goods or ginger beer at least once a month or cooked with fresh ginger at least once a month. Buderim Ginger said that ginger's versatility was one of the reasons for its success.
The South African news site, iol, conducted a ginger beer taste test and came up with the rather interesting finding that only two of the five beers tested actually contained ginger. It's not just interesting, it's frightening really. So always check the ingredients and go for the real thing. If nothing else, you will be supporting farmers in developing countries.
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