Ginger from Ethiopia

Whether it is used for teas, smoothies or soups - ginger is very popular. The root with a fruity-spicy flavour is today an integral part of modern cuisine and is also used as a medical remedy. Ginger is, amongst others, grown in Ethiopia. In the so-called "ginger belt", located south-west of Addis Abeba, the crop is predominantly grown and harvested by small-scale farmers. 80 per cent of the ginger harvest in Ethiopia is destined for export. Particularly lucrative markets such as the European Union, however, are difficult to access because only a few exporters in Ethiopia can comply with EU standards. Reasons for this include inadequate hygiene during growing, storage and transport, as well as the lack of access to trading markets.

Using funds from the develoPPP.de programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), DEG co-finances a project aimed at enhancing productivity of ginger production, thereby improving the income of around 700 smallholders. The private partner is the Dutch Lithos Group, which imports spices from Africa. In cooperation with Eden, a local company that processes and packs spices which it buys from local farmers, Lithos optimises growing and harvesting practices of ginger and supports distribution of other spices.

To this end, smallholders are given ginger and turmeric seeds and are trained in cultivation techniques, disease management, storage and basic administration. In addition, Eden will switch to modernised processing methods: mechanical slicing and artificial drying of the roots will be introduced in the processing.

In cooperation with the Ethiopian Spice, Aromatic and Herb Growers and Processor Agency, Lithos and Eden are developing national standards for ginger and turmeric roots and will establish sampling procedures to review these standards. Farmers, processing companies and merchants benefit from this.

DEG specifically promotes investments in the agricultural sector that add more value locally. In 2014 it provided EUR 131m for this purpose.