THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dig in and reap the benefits! If tapioca can make a farmer rich, ginger will make him richer. In 2023-24, ginger came roaring back as the state’s most profitable crop, dethroning the humble tapioca, the previous year’s topper.
For every rupee a farmer spent, ginger returned over Rs 4, according to the ‘Report on Cost of Cultivation of Important Crops in Kerala 2023-24’ released by the department of economics and statistics recently.
A ginger farmer who spent Rs 2,73,571 as input cost per hectare made an earning of Rs 11,60,056. At 4.24, ginger stood first in the input-output ratio among the 19 major crops listed in the report. Tapioca was the second-best performer, at 3.24, followed by banana (2.60).
In a good year, ginger can change a farmer’s life. But a five-year analysis based on the department’s previous reports reveals a fluctuating track record for ginger. At 2.94, it topped the ratio chart in 2019-20 only to decline to 2.50 in 2020-21 and further to 2.16 next year. It recovered to 3.04 in 2022-23 and rose dramatically to 4.24 in the last assessment year.
On the flip side. Even as ginger earns the most, high input cost of Rs 2.74 lakh per hectare makes it an expensive crop for ordinary farmers. In 2023-24, it had the second-highest input cost after pineapple (Rs 2.75 lakh).
Thus ginger cultivation is a risky bet for farmers, as a bad season or price slump would push them into a crisis.
But tapioca tells a different story. Its return ratio was 2.78 in 2019-20. Except for one bad year, the ratio consistently went up, reaching 3.24 in 2023-24.
Also, the cost to grow tapioca is less, Rs 1.74 lakh per hectare as against ginger’s Rs 2.74 lakh. For a small farmer without any savings to fall back on, tapioca becomes a safer option.
The broader picture of Kerala’s agriculture sector, however, is gloomy. Paddy, one of the dominant crops, had one of the lowest ratios. It hovered between 1.43 and 1.83 during the three harvest seasons.
Coconut also showed a declining trend -- from 2.08 in 2019-20 to 1.66 in 2023-24. Among vegetables, okra (lady’s finger) topped the chart. Its ratio was 3.27 for the summer harvest and 3.17 for the winter season.
