Ginger prices shoot up in Odisha capital, sold at Rs 300 per kg

Bhubaneswar: After Tomato, ginger prices also skyrocketed in Odisha capital as the produce is being sold at Rs 300 per kg in local markets.

The agricultural produce ginger, which is used as spice in every household, brought tears to eyes of consumers.

The unavailability of ginger in godowns is said to be the reason behind soaring price of the produce in Bhubaneswar markets. The consumers are also facing a tougher situation to feed their families as prices of almost all vegetables have shot up in a past few days.

According to reports, the farmers in Koraput district sell ginger to traders between Rs 8 and 10 throughout the year. Last year, the traders had bought the ginger between Rs 160 and 200 in Odisha. However, they sold the produce to Uttar Pradesh for the use as seeds.

As told by Aiginia wholesale traders’ association’s president Shakti Mishra, Odisha needs 1 lakh MT ginger per year. The ginger produced in Koraput district has demand among consumers in terms of quality. However, the the produce from the district is not available in market now. Instead, the ginger is being imported from Siliguri. There is also no cap on prices as demand is greater than supply.

According to report from Agriculture Department of Odisha Government, total 39,000 MT ginger is produced in 11,000 hectar area across Odisha.

Some market experts opine that the prices suddenly rise in markers if there will be no stock of local production.

The farmers stated that the government gives an incentive amount of Rs 2.50 lakh per hectare to increase ginger production. This is a pro-farmer policy of the government found on records only. In reality, of Rs 2.50 lakh, about Rs 2.15 lakh is spent on only seeds that the government provides to farmers. Though, Koraput and Rayagada districts have the infrastructure for production of ginger seeds, it is not produced there. The seeds come from Uttar Pradesh.

This year again, the ginger cultivation was hampered as the government could not supply seeds to the farmers as required. Secondly, ginger is a seasonal crop. Even though it is produced in winter, farmers can store it in the soil until summer days. Farmers depend on the government for its storage and marketing during monsoon. The demand for ginger from Odisha is increasing across the country. Instead of taking advantage of it and adopting a concrete policy for more production in Odisha, the government is creating a situation where both farmers and consumers are affected, the farmers said.