Brazil’s largest ginger exporter is betting on quality to face Chinese products that have entered the market

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For the first time, profits from exporting the root in Espírito Santo reached R$184 million, and ginger is already the fourth most important agribusiness product in the state. Brazil’s largest ginger exporter is betting on quality to compete with a Chinese product. A root that pleases and is valued on the international market, ginger is a source of income for more than 3,000 families in Espírito Santo. The state was the one that exported the most product in Brazil in 2023, according to the Department of Agriculture. However, after two positive years, the price begins to fall due to the arrival of the Chinese root on the market, and producers from Espírito Santo are betting on quality to guarantee good results. Share on WhatsApp Share on Telegram For the first time, Espírito Santo production reached $37 million in export profit generation in 2023, the equivalent of R$184 million reais. A box that was sold for R$15 in 2022, jumped to R$90, on average, last year, a price that remains the same. 📲 Click here to follow the g1 ES channel on WhatsApp Ginger is now the fourth most important product in Espírito Santo agribusiness, behind only coffee, cellulose and black pepper. Production exceeded R$80 million for papaya, which has now fallen to fifth place in this ranking. Espírito Santo was the state that exported the most ginger in Brazil, in 2023. TV Gazeta The extensionist at the Capixaba Institute of Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (incaper), Galderes Magalhães, explains that international factors influenced the harvest period helped to boost numbers in recent years. “We are coming off a very good year in 2023, which was repeated at the beginning of 2024, due to war problems in the world, such as in Israel. The decrease in production around the world meant that producers in Espírito Santo were harvesting new ginger in January, which was something that didn’t happen before. Normally, only ginger left over from the previous year was harvested during this period. But, as 2023 had very attractive prices, producers uprooted 100% of their crops. China has now managed to reach importing countries with its ginger, so the price is starting to decrease,” said Galderes. Producer Leomar Schaeffer, from the municipality of Domingos Martins, understands that quality makes the difference for the product exported by Espírito Santo. “The demand from foreign consumers is, first and foremost, quality. You have to only send top-of-the-line products, there’s no point putting bad things in the box, and the customer arrives, complains and doesn’t pay. So you have to do your best!”, said Leomar Schaeffer. Ginger is the fourth most important product of Espírito Santo agribusiness, behind only coffee, cellulose and black pepper. TV Gazeta Agriculture Secretary Enio Bergoli highlights the professionalism provided by producers in the State. “I believe in the entrepreneurial capacity of rural producers, who work with quality, have low production costs and guarantee quality. All products that leave the state for the world are audited, undergo a series of analyzes in relation to waste, sustainability and our producers comply with all protocols. They leave here, cross the oceans and end up on all continents.” Producer’s eye guarantees quality and productivity Leomar Schaeffer switched from coffee production and invested in ginger 20 years ago. TV Gazeta In Espírito Santo, ginger is produced, especially, in the Mountain Region, in municipalities such as Santa Leopoldina, Santa Maria de Jetibá and Domingos Martins. The root has adapted very well to the region’s mild climate. Leomar Schaeffer, invested in ginger 20 years ago and today harvests ninety times more than he produced in his first year. “We used to work with coffee, but the coffee wasn’t getting a price, so when the end of the year came we were left with no money, nothing. I saw other producers starting with ginger and improving their lives. Then I thought, ‘you know what?! I’m going to plant too!’. I planted a thousand kilos in the first year and production just increased.” READ ALSO: ES producers aim to export ginger amid rising prices on the international market Climate affects cocoa production, and chocolates become more expensive this Easter Today, Leomar has 20 hectares planted. The forecast is to harvest 90 tons of ginger in 2024. For him, care in farming is what guarantees the success of the harvest. “You have to prepare it, use organic fertilizer, always add it at the right time, you can’t delay it. If it takes too long it loses its strength, the quality will be lower,” he explains. Furthermore, disease control is strict. “We carry out monitoring work in the field, checking for the presence of symptoms of any disease in the aerial part of the root. If it is a little yellowish or has started to dry out, it could be a sign of a fungal or bacterial attack. Then, the bud and rhizome are identified and removed, checking whether there really is a disease or whether it was damaged by an insect, and the bud is released or discarded”, described Galderes Magalhães. In the warehouse, the root is cleaned, selected again and then packed in cardboard boxes. TV Gazeta Among the more than 3 thousand families that produce the root in Espírito Santo, around 300 take the ginger to the Leomar warehouse, where the load is cleaned, selected again – in addition to the work done on the farm – and then packaged in cardboard boxes. This procedure takes place at least twice a day, and up to 50 boxes are packed in 24 hours on site. After packaging, the fruit goes to another warehouse, where the entire load is prepared and taken directly to Vitória Airport. These detailed steps meet the requirements of the United States, European and African countries, the main buyers of Espírito Santo ginger. Galderes Magalhães reinforces the leading role of Espírito Santo in production. “Our product is a global reference because our producer works with small areas, he is the one who puts his hands on the product, he is the one who handles it daily, he doesn’t waste time. He already understands when the plant needs fertilizer, he goes there and puts it; he understands the moment when the plant needs soil, goes there and carries out the mounding process. If you fail to do this process at the right time, you will end up losing productivity. So this dedication means that our product, which has adapted very well to our climatic conditions, performs better.” Videos: everything about Espírito Santo See the latest news from g1 Espírito Santo

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