Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has attributed the sharp rise in ginger prices to a mysterious disease that has devastated ginger farms across Ghana over the past two years.

“There’s a strange ginger disease that has come and, for the last two years, it has affected most ginger farmers. That is why ginger has become so expensive,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the outbreak has significantly reduced yields, creating supply gaps that traders say have become increasingly difficult to fill.

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The shortages have forced traders to source ginger from countries including China, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Togo to supplement the local market. Historical trade records also indicate imports from Sri Lanka, India and the Netherlands.

Figures from the Ghana Statistical Service show that China accounted for more than 23 percent of Ghana’s total imports in the final quarter of 2025, with shipments including machinery, electronics, textiles and agricultural products.

Trade data published by the United Nations COMTRADE indicate that Ghana imported approximately US$39,740 worth of ginger, turmeric, saffron, thyme and related spice products from China in 2023.

These figures underscore Ghana’s growing dependence on imported ginger, despite the crop’s longstanding importance to local agriculture, food processing and traditional medicine.

Economists have linked the situation to broader structural weaknesses in Ghana’s agricultural sector, particularly limited investment in disease control, post-harvest management and climate resilience.

Recent data also show that Ghana’s imports from China reached record levels in late 2025, with monthly imports peaking at approximately US$437 million in November.

For consumers, however, the immediate concern is affordability, as rising prices continue to affect households, food vendors, restaurants and spice retailers who depend on ginger for cooking and traditional remedies.

SO/MA

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