ABOUT US
The Nigerian Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Task Force
The 2023 ginger season was affected by an outbreak of fungi pathogens infection which destroyed about 95% of the year’s yield in Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa states, and the Federal Capital Territory. Kaduna state, which ranks the highest in ginger production in Nigeria was most affected, with the infection destroying over 2,500 hectares of farmlands estimated at N10 Billion across seven Local Government Areas of Southern Kaduna.
This has significantly threatened Nigeria’s position on the world chart of ginger production, as Nigeria ranked number two behind India, but is slowly losing position due to the ongoing epidemic.
In light of this, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu presidency set up the Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce (GBECT) through the Office of the Vice President to tackle this issue and ensure Nigeria secures its place as the number two ginger producing country in the world.
What we do
Our Mission
The GBECT is a multidisciplinary team established for:
- Institutional development and multi-agency collaboration
- Strategy development
- Coordinated action
- Resource mobilization for implementation
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Communication of planned activities and progress to stakeholders and farmers
What we want to achieve
Our Objectives
Our Clearly spelt out objectives are;
- To understand the humanitarian, economic, and social ramifications of the epidemic, and provide mitigating and proactive solutions for present and future ginger production
- To resolve the ginger blight epidemic by inter-agency collaboration and sharing of expert knowledge
- To ensure that technologies and expertise are available to facilitate ginger production
“My Administration is dedicated to evolving home-grown solutions to tackle our nation’s food security challenges head-on including setting up schemes to bolster local food production and cut out all forms of rent-seeking tied to food importation”
Bola A. Tinubu, GCFR
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Organization
How the Taskforce is structured
Technical & Research Committee
Understanding the spread and disease etiology to facilitate designing effective control measures by ensuring the characterization of the causal agent(s) and its epidemiology, mapping the extent of the geographic spread of the disease, conducting desk study for best practices to control the disease, developing diagnostic tools for pathogen detection and monitoring, and developing a strategy for the procurement/production of quality seed.
Emergency & Recovery Committee (2023 Season)
Provide assistance to farmers affected by the failed 2023 farming season by mapping the extent of the economic losses across the value chain, designing and adopting a verifiable and transparent distribution strategy and channel, and disbursement of relief packages.
Capacity & Productivity Committee (2024 Season):
Grow, build, and expand farmers’ production through capacity building and trainings; develop a strategy for the distribution of quality seeds; offer planting advisory services to farmers against ‘Ginger Blight’; provide crop rotation recommendations; test and promote biocontrol products available in the market; and set up digital disease monitoring and alert system.
Marketing & Industry Committee
Collaborate with key export markets and international organisations, ensure regulatory compliance, provide education and training for processors and exporters, as well as communication on best practices to farmers and other stakeholders.
Secretariat
Provide coordination to the taskforce through response planning and coordination, resource mobilization and allocation, communication and public awareness, and monitoring & evaluation of activities.
GBECT
Members of the Taskforce
- Office of the Vice President of Nigeria
- Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS):
- Honourable Minister’s Office
- Federal Department of Agriculture
- National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI)
- National Agriculture Seed Council (NASC)
- Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS)
- National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS)
- Institute of Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
- Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment:
- Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC)
- The Federal Produce Inspection Services (FPIS)
- Federal Ministry of Science and Innovation
- National Economic Council:
- Kaduna State Government
- Plateau State Government
- Nasarawa State Government
- Federal Capital Territory
- National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
- United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
- World Food Program (WFP)
- Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Nigerian Ginger Farmers Associations
- Processor: ILLAJ Ginger Company Ltd.
- Aggregators and Exporters: OLAM, AFEX, GACON