ABSTRACT

Ginger is an essential requisite of the cuisines of most countries, and it has also played an important role in traditional medicine from very early times. Over the years, ginger registered a positive growth rate in area, production, and productivity of 260, 760, and 140 percent, respectively, from 1970-1971 to 1998-1999. The export demand continues to be high, registering a 4.05 percent growth in export quantity and 10.15 percent in export value (Rajesh et al., 2002). In spite of the increased production and productivity, Indian ginger is costly (US $1600 to $1700 per ton) as compared to the Chinese and Nigerian product (US $1300 and $1050 to $1100 per ton, respectively), demanding cost effectiveness to be competitive in the international trade. An analysis of the realizable productivity and the constraints for achieving potential productivity is an essential step to bridge the gap.