Sulthan Bathery: Hit by hostile weather, widespread crop diseases and the lingering impact of last year's post-Pahalgam price crash, ginger production in Wayanad and the adjoining border regions of Karnataka has plummeted this season, triggering an unprecedented rise in prices amid near-empty stocks. The price of raw ginger, which soared to more than ₹11,500 per 60-kg sack last week, has since eased to ₹7,000-8,000 this week. Farmers, however, point out that a price of around ₹4,000 per sack is considered ideal as it provides a reasonable profit to growers while keeping the commodity affordable for consumers.

With the harvest season drawing to a close by June, the current season has nevertheless turned out to be one of the most remunerative in recent years for thousands of Wayanad farmers engaged in lease farming across Karnataka, as market prices remained well above average throughout the harvesting period. The impact has also been felt in the retail market, where the price of ginger, which had fallen to as low as ₹30 per kg during last year's market crash, has now climbed above ₹200 per kg.

However, leaders of ginger farmers' organisations say the high prices are the result of a sharp decline in production. Large tracts of ginger farms were devastated by diseases, while many cultivators either reduced the area under cultivation or stayed away from farming altogether after suffering heavy losses last year.

According to Navarang Mohanan, national president of the All India Ginger Farmers' Association, farmers enjoyed remunerative prices throughout the season from December to July. "The demand remained exceptionally strong, and by the end of June, which marks the peak harvesting period, very little stock was left in the farms," he said.

Mohanan told Onmanorama that only a handful of farmers extend their lease period beyond June, the normal expiry of lease agreements, because doing so requires payment of substantial additional lease charges to landowners, he pointed out. Apart from the steep rise in fertiliser prices and other cultivation costs, lease rates have also increased sharply, touching ₹2 lakh per acre in several areas, further increasing the financial burden on farmers.

Post-Pahalgam price collapse discouraged cultivation
Farmers recall that ginger prices had crashed to historic lows in May last year and fell even further after the Pahalgam terror attack, when land-route transportation to key export destinations was severely disrupted.

At one stage, the market price dropped to just ₹1,050 per 60-kg sack, one of the lowest levels witnessed in decades, causing enormous losses to growers.

The prolonged price crash forced many farmers to scale down cultivation or abandon lease farming in Karnataka altogether, leading to a significant reduction in the area under ginger cultivation this season. That, combined with widespread crop diseases and adverse weather, has resulted in the present supply shortage.

India continues to be one of the world's leading producers and exporters of ginger. During 2023-24, the country exported thousands of consignments to international markets while producing nearly 385.33 thousand tonnes of ginger annually. According to farmers, border tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack also affected exports through road routes to Afghanistan and Pakistan, further aggravating the market slump last year.

High prices may encourage larger cultivation next year
Prominent Wayanad-based ginger farmer Niranjan Swami, who undertakes large-scale lease farming in Karnataka, said he had deliberately reduced his cultivation area after last year's severe price crash.

"I cultivated only a limited area this year mainly to preserve quality seed stock for the next season. The heavy losses suffered last year discouraged many farmers," he said. He believes that if the current price trend continues for a few more months, ginger cultivation is likely to witness a strong revival next year.

Recalling the heyday of ginger cultivation, Niranjan said Wayanad farmers had once travelled thousands of kilometres in search of disease-free virgin soil.

"There was a time when farmers from Wayanad leased land in Maharashtra, Goa, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Fresh soil reduced disease incidence considerably. We even flew experienced labourers to distant places while transporting seed ginger by road to Raipur in Chhattisgarh because prices were consistently high in those years," he recalled.

Agriculture experts say the present season once again highlights the highly cyclical nature of ginger cultivation. While soaring prices have brought relief to those who harvested a crop this year, they also indicate a severe shortage caused by reduced production. If favourable weather prevails and prices remain remunerative, the coming season could witness a significant expansion in ginger cultivation across Wayanad and the Karnataka border regions.