Career Change, More Contamination, Migraine & Irrigation Project

Many people dream of changing their career but few actually do it. So it was pleasing to read of Reuben Canada, a Philadelphia-based patent attorney, who is making a name for himself in the world of ginger. He started in his kitchen by making a ginger-infused syrup to add to vodka. This evolved into a ginger beer type drink called Jin-Ja which contains ginger, cayenne pepper, green tea, lemon juice and mint. Apparently it can be drunk both neat and as a mixer. Canada's Jin-Ja business has proved so successful that he now employs 13 staff. I really admire people who set themselves a challenge and strive for it. As the maxim goes "You only live once".

Following the recent news (see 5th June 2011 post)that ginger product exports from Taiwan are being monitored for DEHP contamination, the Taiwanese themselves have now discovered ginger powder imported from China contaminated with DIBP. DIBP is a plasticiser and it was recently discovered in a consignment of more than 80,000 ginger powder nutrition capsules in Taichung City. What puzzles me is that these plasticisers are manufactured, some undergoing complex processing, at what must be a not inconsiderable expense. Surely it must be easier, safer and cheaper to sell ginger unadulterated.

Reuters reported the preliminary results of a study into the use of feverfew and ginger for migraine. Researchers at the Headache Care Centre in Springfield, Missouri gave a group of volunteers a feverfew and ginger preparation whilst a control group was given a placebo. Initial indications were that the feverfew and ginger preparation had a noticeable effect in reducing pain but as the survey sample size was too small the results cannot be considered conclusive. Fortunately I've never suffered from migraine but I know people who do and so I hope that this treatment turns out to be a success.

How do you increase your agricultural production in an Indian drought zone? How do you harvest ginger out of season following a poor monsoon? You simply install irrigation. But not just any old irrigation system. The India Tribune has reported that Gujarat and its neighbouring states are reaping the benefits of the Sardar Sarovar project, first conceived in the 1940s by Nehru, whereby a huge dam and reservoir feed an extensive network of canals and sub-canals. It's hard to believe that it has taken so long to build but I suppose that a project of this scale must be extremely expensive for any country or donor agency to undertake.

DEHP Contamination, English Ginger, Tariffs and Bangladeshi Ginger

The E.coli outbreak centred in Germany is not the only food contamination alert making the news this week. Although not on the same scale, the US Food and Drug Administration is monitoring certain food products, including ginger clam tablets, imported from Taiwan. These products, believed to have come from over 180 manufacturers, contain DEHP, a chemical used as a plasticiser in the medical equipment industry. DEHP has been used before in beverages as a clouding agent to give the product, such as a fruit juice, a cloudy and therefore more natural appearance. Other countries known to be affected include the Philippines, Vietnam and Hong Kong. This reminds me of the Prohibition era in 1920s and 1930s America when a different plasticiser was added to Jake, a Jamaican ginger extract.

A joint venture between Sharp’s Brewery and the Eden Project has resulted in a beer containing English ginger. Yes, you did read that correctly. English ginger! Launched at the beginning of June, Honey Gold is a summer seasonal golden beer brewed with five varieties of hops, honey and spices including ginger which has been grown at the Eden Project. I don't think that the Indians and the Chinese need lose any sleep over this new addition to the list of ginger producing countries. Both the brewery and the Eden Project are based in Cornwall in south west England.

Last week I wrote about Fijian government's programme for resettling squatters. The Fiji Times has reported that the 20 families, with an estimated population of 100 between them, should be producing $90,000 of ginger after just five months.

I read something the other day and now I can't remember the link to it. I think it was all about encouraging women farmers to diversify into speciality crops like ginger. The talk was held under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Women's Agricultural Network at Penn State University. I'm sure that it mentioned that the ginger would have to be grown in polytunnels. Recently I mentioned that grants are available for growing ginger in Indiana. It is interesting how ginger cultivation is moving away from the tropics.

A press release from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) was released recently detailing the proceedings of the first Provincial Farmers and Fisherfolk Congress in Samar Province. This congress was a significant event as fishing and farming are the principal economic activities in Samar. Of particular interest to me was the call from the provincial governor to consider moving into ginger farming. The governor said that there was a big market for this crop and that a foreign business partner was ready to purchase 200 tons of ginger per month. Encouragement indeed! The main markets for Filipino ginger are the UK, Germany, Japan and Hong Kong.

Last week I reported that the Sri Lankan government is offering subsidies to enable the country to become self-sufficient in ginger. The government is now ready to impose tariff barriers to encourage and protect ginger production. Presumably the government will not be too concerned about tit for tat tariffs on their ginger exports as the aim is to reduce imports and not increase exports.

Bangladesh announced that this year's prospective ginger yield in Nilphamari district is looking fairly good. This district produces more than 50% of the country's total ginger output. This year's cultivation is slightly lower than last year and government sources are concerned that future cultivation will be reduced even further because virus-free seed is not available. Maybe this is an area which should be a focus for foreign aid.