The Federal Government disclosed on Monday that  the farmers lost over N12billion on ginger blight epidemic in four states due to the challenges facing the country.

He revealed this at the inauguration in Abuja, that the fungal disease had inflicted significant damage on ginger farms in Kaduna, Nassarawa Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory.

Aliyu Abdullahi, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, said the disease have made them lost billion of naira, not only the livelihoods of farmers, but also Nigeria’s position as the world’s second-largest ginger producer.

“Our preliminary estimates suggested that affected farmers in southern Kaduna lost over N12bn.

“Furthermore, considering that over 85 per cent of Nigeria’s ginger cultivation occurs in this region, we can safely assume a substantial loss of cultivated land, potentially exceeding 70 per cent of total land,” he stated.

The Federal Government said the National Agricultural Development Fund would launch a N1.6bn recovery package for affected farmers in ginger-producing areas.

Abdullahi said the ginger disease serve as a well focused reminder of the importance of preparedness in saving agriculture resources, stating that by investing in research, extension services and farmer support systems, “we can build a more sustainable future for our agricultural sector.”

Also speaking, Abubakar Abdullahi, the chairman of task force committee, noted that blight on ginger had negatively affected the Gross Domestic Product earnings from this subsector.

“It is of necessity and great urgency that various subcommittees are put in place to forestall these negative effects,” he stated.