Thirty trained in certified ginger production
The tenacious ginger rhizome rot disease has thrived in Jamaica for years, managing to reduce our production of quality ginger on the global market. Throughout the years, FAO has supported the Government of Jamaica in trying to rid the island of the disease and nurture the planting of disease free ginger.
This week, thirty agriculturalists and farmers in the management of managing a Certified Ginger Nursery for the Production of Quality Planting Material. Through a project under FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme focused on Upgrading a Ginger Value Chain Strategy and Action Plan, FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, and Fisheries, provided this training to increase the production and availability of disease free ginger plantlets. The training encompassed the sharing of technical guidelines, knowledge and hands-on experience to establish the protocols, quality control and certification systems for:
(i) Production of disease free rhizomes using tissue culture technique, and
(ii) Multiplication of disease free quality planting materials using an innovative mass propagation technique called single bud nursery technology.
One of the highlights of the training was also an introduction to the requirements for establishing a full-fledged certification system for the production of quality planting materials.
Training coordinator, FAO Consultant and Senior Lecturer in Plant Pathology at the University of the West Indies Dr Duraisamy Saravanakumar, noted that Jamaica has great potential to re-enter the global market as a top producer of quality ginger. However, he highlighted that disease management was not the only threat and that farmers and nursery operators needed to be educated on other areas such as the importance of practicing drip irrigation and preventing nutrient deficiency of ginger. He emphasized that it may take a few years for the country to produce quality ginger at its full potential, but a robust certification system, including incentives, for ensuring planting and production of disease free material, increased support to developing the industry and adherence to the technical guidelines for producing clean ginger plantlets were crucial contributing factors.
Dr Seymour Webster, Head of Department of the Plants, Soil Sciences and Engineering at the College of Agricultural Science and Education (CASE) commented that the “quality of the assistance provided by FAO in reviving the ginger sector was invaluable”. He added that the scope of insight gained from the workshop was a propelling factor to “operationalise a section of the college’s greenhouse for nurturing ginger tissue culture and offer training in the propagation of clean ginger plantlets”. Webster remarked that one of his most notable aspects of the workshop was learning about the single bud nursery technology to help in minimizing the attack of the rhizome rot and that it was an area that the College would need to look into experimenting.
Dr Peta-Gaye Change, Chief Post Entry Officer at the Bodles Research Station remarked that the training was useful in helping nursery operators to have a better understanding of the certification process in ginger cultivation and the importance of standardizing the procedure to reduce the risk to farmers.
Mr Charles Webster from the Research and Development Division of MICAF, highlighted that learning about the value chain aspect of ginger production was the next crucial step to ensuring that the industry thrives.
In the coming weeks, FAO will also conduct training in value chain analysis which will specifically address the challenges and opportunities for the country as it develops and upgrades several value chains including ginger.
UPDATE
Catch the news on the Value Chain Workshop at Re-rooting Jamaican Ginger to the World.