Production of ginger has almost been stagnant at around 80,000 tons for the last one decade, while demand for the important and herbal spice has surged five times by this time, said insiders. The rocketing demand has been forcing the country to import 0.5-0.6 million tons of ginger worth billions of Tk annually, they added.
Ginger production reached 82,152 tons in the last financial year (FY) 2021-22, which was 81,715 tons in FY 21, and 84,887 tons in FY 20, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data. The BBS data also showed that the spice production was 77,052 tons and 83,004 tons in FY 14 and FY 15 respectively, which was almost the same like that in the new decade.
The MoC sources said ginger import from India, China and some African countries costs the country Tk 25-40 billion annually, depending on its global prices.
