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Hefty ginger retail prices as shipping delays hamper imports

South African ginger supplies are low, reportedly as a result of delays in vessels bringing imported ginger from the East. The domestic ginger season runs from the middle of April through to October or November, with a few farmers still supplying ginger into December and beyond.

"Normally the domestic ginger is just about to go out, but there's a lot of disease in the local crop," says a market agent. As a result, all of the ginger on the market floor has been imported (by "speculators", he calls them) from China and Thailand and there is no South African-grown ginger currently available.

However, shipping disruptions have meant irregular arrivals of imported ginger, which explains why the market supply is low.

The average price for ginger on the country's municipal markets has moved in a band of R70 (3.8 euros) to R90 (4.8 euros) per kilogram over the past six weeks, which is considered a fair and quite normal price for this time of the year when domestic supplies are scarce to non-existent.

In South Africa's supermarkets, ginger costs significantly more: a survey of various retailers showed per kilogram prices ranging from R189.90 (10.2 euros) per kilogram for loose ginger to R300 (16.2 euros) per kilogram for mesh bags of organic ginger (minimum 200g).


In retail ginger trades at far higher prices than on the municipal markets; this piece of ginger weighing 310g sold for almost R60 (3.2 euros) on 9/02/2025

"I don't know when local ginger is expected again," the trader continues. "Some farmers have had to stop supplying and take out the entire crop as a result of disease pressure." Just over a year ago, FreshPlaza reported on the fungal disease exacting a toll on South African ginger production.