Chinese ginger is short and volumes are expected to be slim for awhile longer.
“It’s going to be like this for a little bit. China is coming with a new crop but in between the change of crops, the containers have been delayed. So there’s a lot of shortage in garlic and ginger right now,” says Juan Pablo Lozano of Miami, Fl.-based Garland, LLC.
Along with the changeover of crop that’s causing delays, Chinese New Year also factors into how little volume is being imported into North America right now. “We’re coming into Chinese New Year and the factories shut in China and stop shipping a few weeks before that and then they won’t reopen until a few weeks after,” says Lozano. “My best guess is the ginger market will be this way until the end of March.”
Annual shortage
Generally, ginger supplies from China are low around this time of year - Lozano says he normally receives one to two containers a week of ginger. Right now, it’s almost one every month. “And the containers from the old season have a bit of a problem with quality. There was a lot of bad ginger,” he adds.
In terms of sourcing from other countries, China is the preferred country for ginger for many consumers. However, Lozano adds some ginger is arriving from Brazil, although it too is at the end of its crop and has quality issues such as dehydration. Costa Rica and Honduras are also shipping but the quality isn’t as strong as China’s and the volumes aren’t high. Organic ginger from Peru is being shipped but at premium pricing.
Given that demand for ginger and its many uses and associations with healthy living continues to grow, this dynamic makes for a steady, but higher priced market. “Right now it’s going for about $24 but it may push into the higher $20s,” says Lozano. “I think it will be like this until the end of March.”
