KATHMANDU: Ginger imported from China is replacing indigenous ginger in the local market. Fruit and vegetable markets of capital city Kathmandu are awash with Chinese ginger.

Housewives in Kathmandu are using Chinese ginger since the last two months. “I am using Chinese ginger because it is easily available,” said Bindu Pant of New Baneshwor. She added that the Chinese ginger does not taste so good as Nepali ginger. “It has less fibre and a poorer sour taste,” she said.

Chinese ginger cost Rs 90-100 per kg in retail which is Rs 10 more than domestic. Wholesellers in Kalimati and Khasi bazaar are selling Chinese ginger for Rs 78-80 per kg. “I am selling Chinese ginger because it is available in market,” said Kabir Giri of Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market. He is not sure where the hybrid Chinese ginger comes from. Chinese garlic and onion have been in Nepali market for more than a decade.

Despite less fiber and poorer sour taste, Chinese ginger catches the buyer’s eye. It is more full-bodied and attractive than Nepali ginger. Experts have different opinion about Chinese ginger. “Chinese ginger is a hybrid product and does not have medicinal properties,” said Shree Gautam who practices Ayurveda and yoga at Shankhamul, Kathmandu. “Only pungent and fibrous ginger can be used in traditional medicine and it is good for household use also,” he added.

Ginger (Zangibar Officinale) is a popular spice in South Asia and also grown in the hills of Africa, Latin America and Caribbean countries. It has medicine value in diarrhoea and nausea according to Ayurveda and has been used in folk medicines of India, Nepal and Tibet. Research in the United States of America suggests that ginger is useful in treating diabetes.

Nepal is a ginger producing country. In 2004-05, Nepal produced 152,704 metric tonnes (MT) and exported 11,626.7 MT, according to statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC). Ginger production in Nepal is growing each year, with a total production of 161,171 MT from 14,007 hectares of land.

Nepal exported 160,576 MT ginger to India and other countries and earned Rs 541.3 million in 2006-07. Ginger exported from Nepal covers around 30 per cent demand of household consumption in India.

Surprisingly, Indian markets are also full of Chinese ginger, mainly New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and in northern India.