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Soaring ginger prices make tea, soup and curry bland
View(s):By Nadia Fazlulhaq
The price of a kilo of ginger was more than Rs. 2,000, even in shops in rural areas where ginger is also homegrown in addition to being a commercial crop. In supermarkets, it is sold at prices ranging between Rs. 2,600 and Rs. 2,700, while at the Pettah and Peliyagoda wholesale markets, the prices vary from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000, depending on the variety and quality.
Pettah: Where prices vary from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000, depending on the variety and quality (above and below). Pix by Akila Jayawardena and Priyankara Samaraweera
“Last year, farmers cultivated ginger excessively, and this resulted in prices dropping to Rs. 60–70 a kilo. This year, attracted by the price increase and the demand, farmers have begun to cultivate ginger on a large scale,” Export Agriculture Department Director General A.P.P. Disna said.
She said that by September, a few stocks are expected from Badulla and Moneragala. But it would take until the end of the year or early January to see a visible price drop.
Pettah retail trader Thusitha Kumara
“In 2020, an import ban was imposed on ginger. This caused a shortage of ginger in the market. Unfortunately, ginger cultivators cannot afford cold storage facilities. There is little entrepreneurship among them to make ginger-based products or preserve ginger when there is a surplus. This results in losses and waste, whether the prices go up or down,” she said.
Pettah retail trader Thusitha Kumara said he managed to get low-quality ginger and sell it for about Rs. 1,000–1,200 a kilo. But still, people are reluctant to pay such a big price for ginger at a time when vegetable prices and other essential items have skyrocketed.
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