Ginger Cultivation in India - How to Grow Ginger Crop

Ginger is a significant commercial crop that thrives for its aromatic rhizomes, used both as a medicine and spice. It is marketed in different forms. It includes raw ginger, ginger powder, dry ginger, bleached dry ginger, ginger oil, ginger oleoresin, ginger beer, ginger ale, ginger candy, brined ginger, ginger wine, ginger squash, and ginger flakes, etc.

Gingers are the rhizome of Zingiber officinale Rosc belonging to the “Zingiberaceae” and native to “Southeast Asia” and propagated through rhizomes. The rhizomes are erect, leafy stems, 30-90 cm high and the base of the leaves covers the stem. The leaves are dark green, 15 to 20 cm long, narrow, lanceolate, and prominent central vein. The flowers are small, yellow, and speckled, each with purple speckled leaves and borne on a spike. When the plants are approximately 9 months old, the green leaves turn yellow. Ginger produced in India is meant for domestic consumption, and only a small amount is exported.

Growing Process of Ginger

Starting commercial ginger cultivation is easy and simple, just like growing other crops. Ginger plants are very hardy and strong, requiring less care and other handling. When you start growing a ginger plant, you need to know the various essential sections that would be useful for profitable ginger cultivation. The tractor is the most prominent farm equipment with attachment for farming. You can choose the John Deere 5310 tractor because it is a renowned brand model, and you can choose any other famous tractor model.

Climate Requirement for Ginger plantation

Ginger grows in hot and humid climates and is cultivated mainly in tropical regions above sea level altitudes above 1500m. You can grow it in both rainfed and irrigated conditions. For successful cultivation, ginger requires moderate rainfall at the time of sowing until the rhizomes germinate, fairly heavy and well-distributed rainfall during the growing period and a dry season for about a month before harvesting.

Soil Requirement for Ginger Growth

Ginger crops grow best in well-drained soils such as clay loam or sandy, lateritic loam or red loam. A friable loam rich in humus is the best in ginger farming. However, being a complete crop, growing ginger at the same site year after year may not be desirable. It thrives well in partial shade, although it is also grown extensively in open areas.

Inter-Crop in Organic Ginger Production

Farmers cultivate the ginger organically as a mixed or intercrop, provided all the other crops that thrive follow organic methods. You may intercrop with shape-giving plants, e.g. tree castor, pigeon-pea, banana and cluster bean (guar). Farmers grow the ginger as a mixed crop in coconut, young coffee and orange plantations on the west coast. Ginger is intercropped with chillies and tomatoes at higher altitudes in Himachal Pradesh.

Land preparation

While preparing the land, minimum tillage operations can be adopted. Beds of 15 cm in height, 1 m in width and convenient length should take at least 50 cm distance between beds. Solarization of beds is beneficial in preventing the multiplication of insects and disease-causing organisms. Solarization is a technique by which the moist beds in the field completely cover with polythene sheets and kept in sunlight for a period of 20-30 days. The polythene sheets use for solarization of the soil and you should keep away safely after the work is completed.

Planting Material of Ginger

Carefully preserved seed rhizomes free from diseases and pests collected from organic farming fields can be used for planting. However, firstly, in the absence of organically produced seed material, seed material from local varieties giving great yields. Apart from this, you should not treat the Seed rhizomes with any chemicals.

Planting, Spacing of Ginger

Apply 25 grams powder of neem cake at the time of sowing and mix it well in the soil in each pit in ginger cultivation. Farmers plant the ginger in rows, 20-25 cm apart in a row at a distance of 25 cm. In the case of irrigating crops, bunds make at a distance of 40-45 cm, and plant the ginger in shallow pits at a distance of 24-30 cm above the bunds.

When planting, seed rhizomes can be poured into shallow pits with well-rotted animal manure mixed with trichoderma and covered with a thin layer of soil and levelled. You require about 600-1000 kg seed-rhizome for sowing in one acre of land. Farmers sow the seed in April-May in South India and a little later in North India. Sowing till the middle of April in the south and the first week of May in the north gives more production.

You should water immediately in the ginger crop after sowing. The rain-fed crop' beds are covered with leaf mulch as protection against heavy rains and sun. In some regions, farmyard manure is used as mulch.

Need the Equipment

For better farming operation and productivity, you should do the cultivation in a modern way. The cultivation of ginger required better tractors and implements. And farmers can choose the better tractor according to their budget. We recommend the John Deere 5405 tractor model. Also you can find John Deere 5050d, Mahindra Yuvraj 215 NXT and any other tractor that fits to your budget.

For further information regarding ginger farming in India, stay tuned with us.