Career Change, Make Your Own Drink & Illegal Farming

Last month I wrote about the ginger crop damage caused by wild boar in the Darjeeling region of India. These attacks have now become that widespread across the country that the state of Kerala is taking drastic action to protect its very important agricultural industry. The Hindu has reported that a one-year trial in five districts will start shortly which will allow wild boar to be shot by forest rangers. Guidelines to be issued this week will prevent indiscriminate killing by, for example, protecting mothers with suckling boars.

Here is an interesting report for anyone considering a career as a ginger farmer. Although the report is 13 years old, based on the Hawaiian ginger industry and with all costs in US dollars, I still think that there is enough useful information to set any aspiring farmer on the right track.

Back in April we wrote that the US Agency for International Development was giving Nepal $30m in aid to improve, amongst other things, ginger exports. Now The Himalayan Times has reported that the European Commission is planning to send 9m Euros to be used by the Nepal Trade Integration Strategy on a range of products including ginger. I wonder whether this latest aid programme means that we will see Nepalese ginger here in Europe?

Some states in southern India are currently in the grip of a cholera outbreak. One area in particular which has been hit badly is the Wayanad district of Kerala. This is a hilly area populated by a large number of indigenous tribes with a high dependence on agricultural work. With work hard to find, many tribesmen migrate temporarily to the neighbouring state of Karnataka. It is believed that it is these workers returning home from the ginger farms in Hassan and Courg who are carrying and spreading the disease. In an effort to combat the disease, the health authorities are placing whole tribes under surveillance. Let's hope that this is brought under control as soon as possible.

Have a look at this academic study into the development and characterisation of a carbonated ginger drink in Nigeria. You may find that you'll want to have a go at home.

Malaysian forestry officials are facing a serious problem as they attempt to manage the Kuala Langat South Peat Swamp Forest Reserve. More than 200 farmers have cleared 2,000ha and planted a range of crops including ginger. The Star, one of Malaya's largest circulation English-language newspapers, reported one forestry official claiming that some of the farmers are now ringgit millionaires. When farmers are evicted the officials plant saplings to re-populate the area. Amazingly, the farmers return, spray the saplings with poison and re-plant their crops. A major headache which I'm glad that I don't have.

Burmese Ginger, Trade Mission, Licensed Products & Wild Boar

This year's Burmese ginger crop is proving so popular with international buyers that traders are struggling to meet demand. The conditions which led to a poor harvest last December have created a spiciness and fragrance which is attracting the attention of Indian and German buyers. Ginger (known locally as gyin) is not a major export commodity in Burma and demand is typically irregular. The traditional export markets are Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore and China.

Last month a trade mission from the Dominican Republic visited France to promote the export of a range of agricultural products including ginger. The mission was important for the Dominicans as agriculture is second in their list of export earning sectors behind mining. Like many other countries in the Caribbean, ginger has been grown for quite a few years. Until the export market was created, ginger was produced for domestic consumption. The locals even have a special Christmas drink made with ginger and cinnamon.

In the UK, the 1st of May saw the introduction of the EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD). This directive requires that herbal products can only be sold if they have been registered and licensed by an appropriate agency. This is causing distress to many Indian and Chinese manufacturers as registration can cost in excess of £40,000 for each individual product. But it appears that makers of many herbal products (including ginger) can avoid the cost of registration if the products are labelled and sold as food supplements without any medicinal benefit claims.

Last month we mentioned the story of the elephant attacks on Indian ginger farms. Last week The Telegraph in Calcutta reported that farmers in Darjeeling, cultivating a range of crops including ginger, have been suffering from attacks by wild boar. These wild boar are destroying whole crops by searching for tubers with their snouts. They have also be known to attack and kill humans. Wild boar are distributed widely and live in large family groups. The fact that they breed rapidly means that once in your area they can be difficult to remove. So the farmers response has been to set aside land for a crop which the wild boar will not touch. And this crop is, unsurprisingly, tea. Darjeeling, famous the world over for its black tea, still has room for more growers. This extra tea, certified as organic, will be sold to a local tea garden.

I've just been reading a short report from two years ago by Dr Y C Zala of Anand Agricultural University in India. The report, Ginger cultivation: Capital intensive but profitable, contains a number of interesting statistics but what I found of most interest were the productivity figures. Two years ago the world's average for ginger production was 2,546 kg/ha. India was higher at 3,417 kg/ha but the USA (I think that means Hawaii really) came top with an incredible 51,925 kg/ha. It's just as well that US acreage is small-scale, relatively speaking.