Agriculture sector nets $753k in ginger export

Fiji's agriculture sector has earned a sum of $753,738 from exporting ginger worldwide since 2010.

This was revealed to FijiLive by the Ministry of Primary Industries senior planning economic planning officer Sushma Chand.

Chand said the department exported 84,752 kilograms of ginger worldwide in 2010.

Australia is one of the countries that demands Fiji ginger more than other countries.

Chand said they normally import ginger preserved in brine, ginger preserved by sugar, and other ginger.

Out of the total earned from the agriculture export of ginger in 2010, $495,908.00 came from Australia.

Fiji can now export ginger to Australia as long as strict quarantine conditions are met.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forest (DAFF) Biosecurity has released its provisional import risk analysis for fresh Fijian ginger after meeting with farmers this week

ABC Rural reports it is aimed at allowing trade while protecting Australia from pests such as yam scale and burrowing nematode.

The provisional final import risk analysis report proposes a number of measures to prevent the ginger from carrying exotic pests or disease into Australia.

DAFF will require ginger imports to be free of soil and trash and to be grown under strict conditions or treated post-harvest to remove the threat of burrowing nematode.

Fiji also export ginger to Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, India and Korea.

By Ropate Valemei