Bank Loans: we are overwhelmed,says Ginger Farmers

By Andrew Oota

The Ginger Farmers Association of Nigeria have expressed concerns about the plight of their members across seven states of Nigeria struggling with bank loans they collected .

The association made this known while speaking at the National Assembly during a visit to Senator Sunday Marshall Katung to commend him and his colleagues for bringing their predicament to the fore through a motion on the ginger disease that is affecting farmers.

National President of the association, Squadron leader Nuhu Bagari Audu, who led the delegation said even though they lost over N10 billion to the ginger disease in Kaduna State alone, over N5 billion has been lost in additional six state.

According to him the other affected states are Benue, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kano and Akwa Ibom.

His words ,”We are at the Senate to thank the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Sen Sunday Marshall Katung and all the 109 Senators for considering our plight through a motion sponsored by the Kaduna South Senator.

“Since the pandemic engulfed our ginger farms in Southern Kaduna and six other states, our members that collected loans for the farming season are now dying of shock.

“The downtrodden and the peasant farmers that are alive are thanking God for remembering us through the Senate. We also want to add that all relevant organizations should follow on the path of the senate because this colossal lost, apart from affecting our country, is shaking our GDP. Our export value will drop because of this disease.

“As the national president of the ginger farmers, there are other states that are suffering. Most of the famers abandoned farming other farm products for ginger. Some took loans. With this disease, where are they going to start?

“Some of them who collected loans to farm ginger are dead because of the shock,” Audu said, adding that they are yet to know the real cause of the disease but have also reported to various research institutes who took samples.