Niche Market, Brazilian Exports & High Price In Nepal

The actress Gwyneth Paltrow is having a healthy-eating recipe book published this coming April which I am sure we will be hearing a lot more about between now and then (the Graham Norton Show perhaps?). Anyway, one of her 185 recipes is salmon burgers with pickled ginger. It doesn't immediately grab me but if you do give it a try, let me know what it is like.

The Virginia Farm Bureau is the state of Virginia's largest farmers organisation. It protects farmers' interests and dispenses help and advice. And a recent piece of advice to farmers is to grow ginger in 2013. According to Dr Reza Rafie, a Virginia State University horticulture specialist. "It’s a considerable niche market opportunity". Incidentally, the advice refers to the use of hoop houses. These are more commonly known as polytunnels in the UK.

If you are interested in growing ginger you can order ginger 'seed' from East Branch Ginger in North Carolina from the second week of January.

The Trinidad and Tobago Newsday reported on some of the shopping stories on the day before Christmas Eve in Port-of-Spain. One retailer was having a bad time selling boxer shorts and jerseys but was having more success selling ginger root for making ginger beer.

In my last post I mentioned the problems being faced by ginger farmers in Antigua who are being plagued by the Giant African snail. The same source, the Antigua Observer, has now reported on one particular farmer who has lost all of her ginger crop at a time of the year, Christmas, when ginger is very popular. Someone must be able to control these little blighters, surely.

We are about halfway through the Brazilian ginger export season now. December and January will see new ginger sent to Europe, principally the Netherlands.

The Caribbean Bottling Company produces Schweppes Ginger Ale for the Bahamian market. But recently production was suspended after an unusual taste was detected in the 12oz cans. At the beginning the problem was proving so difficult to resolve that representatives from Coca-Cola and the can supplier were brought in. It has now been alleged that a cleaning agent could be involved. (Source: Tribune 242 (1), Tribune 242 (2)).

Nepalese ginger farmers will be ending the year on a high. Last year, ginger was trading for as little as Rs 5 per kg but now it can fetch Rs 40 per kg. And the reason? Because the price was so low last year many farmers decided to give ginger a miss this year. This has resulted in a shortage thereby pushing up the price. (Source: The Kathmandu Post).

I'd like to finish by wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year.

Ginger Research, Prevent Rot & Politics To Ginger Ale

I came across two articles last week about a possible link between weight loss and ginger consumption. I would like it to be known that I wasn't actively looking for weight loss tips but, if I'm honest, I could lose a few pounds. Anyway, let's start with a Chinese diabetes site, diabeter. It mentioned a study which found that ginger, as a thermogenic food, increases the metabolic rate which, in turn, increases energy output. Basically, it purports to burn off the calories.

The second article, in Food Product Design, was a report on a study with the lengthy title "Ginger consumption enhances the thermic effect of food and promotes feelings of satiety without affecting metabolic and hormonal parameters in overweight men: A pilot study". This study, conducted by the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University in New York, has found that drinking a hot ginger beverage with breakfast can reduce feelings of hunger in overweight men later in the day.

Fentimans is a well-known and well-loved non-alcoholic drinks company which has been around for over one hundred years. It was started by Thomas Fentiman in 1905 when he acquired a recipe for a botanically-brewed ginger beer. Although the company has brought out a range of non-ginger drinks over the years, it is only now that a new ginger drink has been created. Big Hospitality has reported that Fentimans has launched a botanically-brewed ginger ale mixer, but only for the on-trade. It has been developed as an accompaniment to whisky and contains galangal, cinnamon and pear juice.

Earlier this month I wrote about Nigerian research into using ginger and garlic to extend the shelf life Kunun-zaki, a popular local non-alcoholic drink. Well, Nigerian scientists have been at it again. The Journal of Stored Products and Postharvest Research published a report earlier this year entitled "Storage and consumer acceptability of fruit: Ginger based drinks for combating micronutrient deficiency". Fruits are an excellent source of micronutrients for Nigerians (anyone, in fact) but, as we all know, the level of micronutrients starts to decrease soon after harvesting. This study found that adding ginger to a range of fruit juices (pineapple, orange & paw-paw) reduced the presence of microorganisms noticeably as long as the drinks were kept refrigerated.

The Fiji Times informed us that last year Fiji earned $30.4 million from the export of root crops and vegetables. Out of this figure, ginger accounted for an $6.4 million, an impressive 21%. A government official said that agriculture is the backbone of Fiji's economy and that farmers and investors should be encouraged to expand the sector with the backing of government time and resources.

Fiji exports most of its ginger to Australia although it is attempting to enter European markets. Understandably, Fiji would like to increase its ginger exports to Australia. But, according to My Sunshine Coast, there could be a slight problem. Queensland's Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry minister, John McVeigh, has said that he will fight the Federal government's decision to allow imports of fresh ginger from Fiji. He claims that the ginger could harbour bacterial diseases and contaminated soil.

India's Daily News & Analysis was one of many sites to report on a joint venture between Gujarat University and the Confederation of Indian Industries. They will create the Centre of Excellence in Nano Technology to extract natural dyes from turmeric, ginger, garlic and leaves using environmentally-friendly methods.

Research into the medical uses of ginger is taking place all around the world. I noticed that last Thursday was the closing date for volunteers to register for an Iranian clinical trial called "The effects of ginger on hypertension in patients with type 2 diabetes". This could be a significant study as cases of both hypertension (or high blood pressure) and diabetes are increasing markedly.

For those of you interested in growing ginger, Jamaica's The Gleaner published some advice from the government's Department of the Rural Agriculture Development Authority on how to prevent rhizome rot (part 2). This disease affects ginger crops in many parts of the world so it is well worth a read.

Still in Jamaica and the government's Agriculture and Fisheries minister, Roger Clarke, who has said that ginger production is among the fastest growing agricultural sectors globally. That's what I like to hear.

I found a fascinating business start-up story on Richmond BizSense, a business site for Richmond, Virginia. Casey Werderman has launched Humdinger Craft Soda with its first offering being Humdinger Ginger Ale. I'd be interested to know whether locally grown ginger is used (if you haven't seen previous posts, ginger is actually grown in Virginia, some close to Richmond). Casey works full-time as a public affairs manager but his previous job was as chief of staff to a Virginia Senate Majority Leader.

World Beer Cup, Thai Cooking & Nepalese Ginger

I will start this week by announcing that the All Things Ginger website is back again after changing our hosting ISP and domain registrar. At the time it felt as traumatic as moving house but, on reflection, it wasn't that bad.

Congratulations to the Hardywood Park Craft Brewery for winning a bronze medal in the Herb & Spice Beer category at the 2012 World Beer Cup for its Hardywood Gingerbread Stout. The brewery, from Richmond in Virginia, brewed the imperial milk stout with fresh local ginger and honey. If you think that 'fresh local ginger' is a mistake, think again. Ginger cultivation is becoming quite popular in Virginia, albeit under cover. The ginger used in this beer is grown locally at Casselmonte Farm. The brewery's own page for the beer contains a You Tube video about the making of the beer.

If you like to read business and company histories, you'll find this Morning Advertiser article about Hartridges, the soft-drinks company, particularly interesting. I read it because Hartridges makes a lovely ginger beer which my wife describes as the best she has ever tasted.

Australia is interested in investing in Pakistan's agriculture sector, according to the Pakistan Agriculture blog. Although the post didn't contain any specifics, I would imagine that Australia is interested in ginger. Consumption of ginger in Australia is increasing but domestic production is limited. Last year, Pakistan exported 18 tonnes of ginger to Australia compared with 28 tonnes from Indonesia. But, significantly, the ginger from Pakistan was nearly two-thirds cheaper.

Thai cooking is very popular in the UK. You can find a wide range of Thai recipe books in many bookshops. Thai restaurants are established in many towns and cities. Now you can read about Thai ginger cooking in Thailand itself in the Chiangrai Times.

I've been reading an interesting USAID report from last year on the ginger sector in Nepal. I knew already that ginger is an important crop, particularly as an export commodity to India. What I didn't know is that the unit cost of ginger exported to India is considerably cheaper that the unit cost of ginger imported from India. Is the quality of Indian ginger superior?

The USAID report states that the major competitors of Nepalese ginger are Assam, Bangalore, Tibet and the internationally famous Cochin. Stiff competition indeed but I've never heard of Tibetan ginger. Can anyone help?

I also discovered from the report that ginger comes top of the list of spices grown in Nepal in terms of land use and production. In fact, ginger production is nearly twice that of garlic, turmeric, chilli and cardamon combined. I wonder if the Australians have considered this as a potential source?

To finish this week, here is a You Tube video of a ginger harvest in Andhra Pradesh, India. Unfortunately, it is not in English but it is still very watchable.

Ginger Volunteers, Baby Ginger, New Drinks, Agroforestry & Meat Proteins

We'll start this week by visiting Taiwan and a pleasing story in Focus Taiwan. This season has seen a glut of ginger on the east coast of the country which has resulted in a drop in price. Farmers, although skilled in producing the ginger, have been struggling in their attempts to sell the harvest. But help has appeared in the form of Star Liu, a university student, and his friend, Terry Kuo. They have been buying ginger from farmers in their home area and selling it for a considerably higher price in the capital, Taipei. They have also engaged in adding value by selling hot ginger tea on the streets of Taipei on cold winter days. This philanthropic act has been so well received that people from Japan and Singapore have also volunteered to help.

The Rodale Institute, a leading US organic agriculture research centre, recommends that farmers produce baby ginger as an unusual way of attracting customers. Baby, or immature, ginger is proving popular in the US for its aroma and mild flavour. Although it is normally grown in the ideal surroundings of Hawaii, it is also being grown as a niche crop undercover by farmers in seemingly unsuitable locations such as Virginia and Pennsylvania. What makes it attractive to US growers is its relatively short shelf life. Baby ginger, harvested after four to six months instead of the usual eight to nine months, can only be stored at room temperature for two to three weeks which rules out shipments (and therefore competition) from overseas.

The American Farm Bureau Federation website, The Voice of Agriculture, contains a fascinating video about farmers in Virginia growing ginger in high tunnels. You may find that the video takes a little while to load but it's worth the wait.

The Fiji Times featured a local farmer who started growing ginger in the early days, gave it up in favour of different crops and has now returned to ginger once again. The story is interesting in itself but when I read that he had been nominated as chairman of the Ginger Council I immediately thought, "what is the Ginger Council?". Well, it was created by an Act of Parliament, the Ginger Council Of Fiji Act, 1996 (this is an RTF file which will require something like Word of Word Viewer). I am not sure but I assume that this body replaced the Ginger Growers Council of Fiji which was established in 1993. Anyway, the principal functions of the Ginger Council are to self-regulate the industry, to produce ginger as cost-effectively as possible and to identify potential export markets.

The Kathmandu Post reported that a Nepalese national level trade association called the Nepal Ginger Producers and Traders Association has been formed with the support of the United States Agency for International Development to promote the interests of ginger farmers. It is envisaged that this new association will also seek to satisfy domestic demand and create new export markets. Currently, India is the destination for around 99 percent of ginger exports. Nepal produces 210,000 tonnes of ginger a year of which 140,000 tonnes are exported. The district of Ilam (the country is divided into 75 districts) is responsible for 65 percent of total production.

It has been a busy week of announcements in the UK for ginger drinks. Blavod Wines and Spirits is launching Red Leg, a premium Caribbean rum spiced with ginger and vanilla. Swedish cider maker Rekorderlig is to launch an orange and ginger cider. And finally, Stone’s Ginger Joe alcoholic ginger beer has secured listings with the Yates’s pub chain and Carlsberg UK, a leading on-trade wholesaler.

Away from the UK, Carlsberg Denmark has launched Somersby Ginger Lemon alcoholic cider (4.5% abv) but only, I believe, for the Danish market initially. In the US, Bruce Cost Ginger Ale now includes passion fruit in its range of unfiltered ginger ales. This new drink also includes a touch of turmeric.

Brewbound, an excellent US site for beer news, reported on the nationwide rollout of three cider varietals from the Angry Orchard Cider Company. One of these drinks is Apple Ginger (5.0% abv) which is a blend of Italian and French apples with fresh Nigerian ginger. Sounds nice.

I am being followed on Twitter by a couple of diabetes organisations - Diabetes UK and The Diabetes Care. I've noticed the occasional reference to ginger and diabetes but I've never really checked to see whether ginger may be beneficial to sufferers or not. So I had a browse and found this interesting Kuwaiti research paper called 'Anti-diabetic and hypolipidaemic properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats' from 2006. I won't spoil the read for you (assuming that you find a link for this paper as the Cambridge URL which I'm using keeps changing) but I will say that the outcome is promising. The report concludes by stating that "ginger may be of great value in managing the effects of diabetic complications in human subjects".

In the past, farmers in the Padma floodplain of Bangladesh practised a traditional system of agriculture. This gradually became unsustainable following the rapid increase in population growth. So in the 1990s, scientists recommended that the farmers adopt the mango-based agroforestry system. This system works by planting a few mango trees in and around the selected food crop. This food crop could be ginger or turmeric or one of many other essential commodities. The Center for International Forestry Research blog has just reported the findings of a research paper in the Small-scale Forestry journal on the effectiveness of mango-based agroforestry systems. The research found that a mango-based cropping system coupled with, for example, ginger is more productive than growing ginger on its own. The farmers now have two crops to harvest which means two crops to sell. This increases income and provides income security. The extra money can then be spent on education, housing, sanitation and health needs. Although mango trees can fruit for decades, after a certain stage the fruit yield drops. The trees can then be felled and the wood used for fuel or making furniture.

I also came across what the Indians believe is an under-exploited crop called mango ginger. Surprisingly, it is not related to either mango or ginger but to turmeric. It is popular in Indian pickles.

The Philippine Information Agency reported an interview with the mayor of Pinabacdao, a municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. He stated that ginger farmers in the hills of Pinabacdao may just be able to rise out of poverty following increased domestic interest in ginger's health benefits and a deal with a Japanese bilk buyer. The mayor will back up his claim by investing public money in farming equipment to ensure that his municipality produces the best ginger in the region.

Just out of interest I checked Wikipedia to find out what a municipality is and discovered that it is a local government unit equivalent to a town. These municipalities are divided into classes based on average annual income during the last three calendar years. The classes range from 1st at the top to 6th at the bottom. Pinabacdao is ranked as 3rd class.

A number of websites, including news.com.au, have reported recently on the latest developments in the Red Meat Combifoods research programme in New Zealand. The purpose of this programme is to find ways that meat proteins can be isolated and then used in other foods. One such resulting food is thyme and ginger-flavoured ice cream. Make up your own mind.

BBC News told us about the food enjoyed by Captain Scott and his team during the expedition to the South Pole a century ago. On special occasions they had crystallised ginger.

Aggie Research reports on a forthcoming paper from North Carolina Central University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The paper, to be presented this coming week, will show that "ginger extract and its purified component increase red blood cell production (erythropoiesis) in transgenic zebrafish recovering from anaemia, as well as in normal non-anaemic zebrafish". The scientists also discovered that "ginger and its purified component stimulate a signaling pathway that encourages blood stem-cell formation".

Cooperatives, Cricket Fighting, Aromatherapy & Virginian Grown

I've been reading a report about a biosecurity meeting between Fiji and Australia which was held , I assume, quite recently. One of the items on the agenda was an update on Fiji's request to export fresh ginger to Australia. Unfortunately I am not aware of the outcome of the discussions but what I did learn was that ginger is not in the top two agricultural products grown in Fiji. The top two positions go to sugar followed by taro. The report quoted the Fijian agriculture minister, Colonel Mason Smith, as saying "Fiji’s ginger is renowned for its unique flavour and has the potential to become one of the country’s leading agricultural exports".

Today I shall be attempting to find a box of the limited edition gingerbread porridge from Dorset Cereals. I'll let you know if I find some and what it tastes like.

The Shanghai Daily reported last week that the previously fluctuating price of Chinese ginger has now returned to its normal level following three interest rate rises so far this year. Another report, this time from Shandong, said that Chinese ginger farmers are so concerned about the prospect of future price fluctuations that they are joining forces with ginger processing companies to form cooperatives. These cooperatives will offer farmers contracts at competitive prices to hedge against potential losses.

Still in China and an article in the Indian Express with the headline "A game of cricket in China". I must admit that I read the article because I was intrigued to find out who was actually playing cricket (the sound of leather on willow, polite clapping and a lush green vista) in China. I was surprised to find that the article was all about crickets, the insects, and the rapid rise in popularity of cricket fighting. I learnt a little about a disappointing fighter by the name of Big Red Belly and his strict liver, tofu and ginger diet. I'm sure his lack of success had nothing to do with the ginger.

A novel approach to calming passengers' pre-flight nerves has been unveiled at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow. Four different aroma schemes will be dispersed around the airport complex through the ventilation system. The schemes will include a variety of extracts from plants such as vanilla, jasmine, lavender and ginger. This really is aromatherapy on a big scale.

It is always interesting to read about people who have just embarked on a ginger farming career, particularly in areas not traditionally known for producing the crop. Last week I read about Charlie and Miriam Maloney who have just harvested their first baby ginger crop from their farm in Virginia, USA. Although planted initially in a heated environment the ginger plants spend most of their time growing in unheated high tunnels. Officially this is only a trial but the early indications are that this will be a success. The trial is a collaboration between the farmers and Virginia State University with funding from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Baby ginger seems to be very popular in the USA for its tender quality. The Los Angeles-based ginger ale company, Reed's, uses baby ginger extensively in their ginger products.

The ginger farming community in the Indian state of Kerala is trying to come to terms with the news that three farmers have committed suicide in unconnected incidents in the last week or so. It has been said that each farmer had been affected by an inability to repay loans following a fall in the price of ginger. There is a sense of deja vu here as this happened in the same state in early 2000. Unfortunately, and possibly worryingly, many more ginger farmers could find themselves in a similar position of being unable to service a debt. So what has caused this situation this time? A shortage of ginger last year resulted in higher prices which, in turn, encouraged more farmers to start growing the crop this year. But the increase in the number of ginger farmers has now led to a shortage of land which has forced up the cost of both land and land leasing. In most cases farmers will have taken out loans to either buy or lease land. These farmers are now finding it difficult to repay their loans. The Keralan state government has responded by sending a team to the Wayanad district, where the suicides occurred, to investigate and compile a report.