Ginger, Low In Calories

Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) is a commodity that is highly valued in international markets for its aroma, pungency and high oil and Aleoresin content.
Nigeria is the third largest exporter of
ginger in the world after China and
India. Most of the dried ginger that are
available for international trade are
simply sun dried over a few days, but
artificial drying is also used in areas
lacking a defined dry season to
coincide with the harvest.
The rhizomeis
dried to between 10 and 12 per cent
moisture content. Dried ginger is
usually presented in a split or sliced
form. Splitting is said to be preferred
to slicing, as slicing loses more flavour,
but the sliced are easier to grind and
this is the predominant form of dried
ginger currently in the market.
Harvest: harvesting of ginger starts
from October and normally continues
until AprilMay. This largely depends on
the market situation as ginger can be
left on the ground (not harvested) for
two years.
Locations:
Ginger is produced in six
states of the Federation namely,
Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue, Niger and
Gombe with Kaduna as the major
producer. Nigeria�s production in 2005
was estimated at 110,000 metric
tonnes (FAO). Out of this, 10% is locally
consumed as fresh ginger while 90% is
dried primarily for the export markets.