At present, the ginger price has been on the rise but is still lower than last year’s price, according to traders.
“Price has gone up now, at around K3,700-K4,000 per viss at farms. The price started climbing up two weeks ago. Local ginger costs K3,000 and Japanese ginger about K4,000. Pinlon is the biggest wholesale market. The retail price can’t be said because retailers sell ginger at K5,000, K6,000 and K7,000. Retail price varies. Generally, wholesale price should be K5,000-K6,000 so that traders can make profits,” said an official from Ko Htut ginger trading in Lashio.
Despite the ginger price rise at present, it is still lower than last year. It reached nearly K13,000 per viss in the same period last year in the wholesale market.
“In fact, the price should be greater than the current price. There is a lot of waste in ginger production. The price normally goes up K7,000-K8,000 over this period. It surged to K12,000-K13,000 last year. It is expected to increase further in next month because the supply is going to face a shortage. Planting season is coming soon, so farmers need to buy seeds around April. If there are exports, the price will be at least K8,000-K10,000. Crops that were planted last year were damaged a lot, so the supply is not as much as expected this year,” he said.
In the summer 2022, ginger prices dropped but climbed up again last year, and the number of ginger farmers increased again. — Thit Taw/ZS/ED
