By Lanre Shodimu
The year 2026 experienced sharp drop in other cash crop and despite that, ginger has remained at historic highs three years after a major blight outbreak, as a seedbank project tightened supplies amid strong export demand.
As stated by the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NGX) of some cash crops, cocoa beans plunged 38 percent from N10,024/kg to N5,144/kg between February 9 and 13, 2026. Sesame also declined by 4.17 percent from N1,200/kg to N1,150/kg within the same period. However, ginger prices held steady at N13,000/kg within the same period.
The National Ginger Association of Nigeria (NGAN) has claimed that the sustained high prices and scarcity to the sector’s recovery from the 2023 blight, an ongoing three-year seedbank project, and rising global demand.
“We launched a three-year seedbank project to recover seedlings lost during the blight,” said Baba Meshach, NGAN’s national publicity secretary/PRO. “ With this project, farmers are required to sell 30 percent of their harvest and replant 70 percent to rebuild seed stock, which has limited market supply,” he stated.
He also provided another reason for ginger price rally which makes production remains low, with most farmers cultivating no more than four hectares, except for a Mastercard Foundation-backed farmer and large firms such as Illaj Farms.
Retail prices for fresh ginger range from N280,000 to N400,000 per 50kg bag. About three 50kg bags of fresh ginger produce one 40kg bag of export-grade dry split ginger.
Export-grade dry split ginger sells for between N13 million and N17 million per ton, according to John Anana, chief executive of Jeffy Farms.
The association also cited ginger’s long eight-month growing cycle as a constraint, noting that many farmers prefer crops with shorter maturity periods.
The global market is projected to grow to $6.01 billion in 2026 from $5.7 billion in 2025, according to Mordor Intelligence. The rising demand presents a strong opportunity for investors looking to tap into the market.
“Ginger is an export commodity and has the capacity to generate returns of 20 to 30 percent on investment, making it a good investment opportunity,” Meshach said.
