“Peru technically has organic ginger year round, but its production is from June/ July to December. After January the product is usually shipped by air or very limited volume by sea due to the rains. Peruvian organic ginger is as fresh as it gets. We don’t warehouse any and it is harvested to order. Energy costs in Pichanaki and the resources that would be required in order to store the ginger, as it is in China, for example, are not something Peru wants to develop in the natural rainforest”, explains Kent Lancaster from Asica Organics from Peru. Asica Organics, is the Organics division of GRUPO ASICA which ships and distributes organic and fair trade organic ginger, organic mangoes, organic avocados and soon organic pineapples and organic bananas. Asica Organics have been dealing with organics for the past 5 years and growing every day.
Kent explains that their organic ginger is grown in Pichanaki, on the other side of the Andes, in the Peruvian rainforest. “It is grown using rotational crops where we change the crops planted so we replenish the nutrients. Ginger is a very vacuous crop and quickly depletes all the nutrients in the soil. In order to avoid this deleterious practice Asica Organics, in an effort to preserve soil integrity, developed a reforestation program using timber trees which becomes a source of income for local communities while simultaneously allowing sustainable production leading to a more well-rounded organic ginger production. Therefore, since the organic ginger grown with this method, complemented by the climate, makes the organic ginger very distinct from other countries. For instance, the flavor profile in the Peruvian ginger is bold, intense, and packed with vitamins. In addition, because our organic ginger is grown in the perfect conditions for the ginger root to develop correctly, there is no need to add anything, which could be detrimental to the environment, and provide for a true organic product from the Peruvian rain forest.”
He describes the Peruvian organic ginger as robust flavours and nutritious. “Growing organic sustainable products not only requires extra investment, but you pay a cost of not having high yields like in the conventional products. Asica tries to grow all of our other products such as avocados, mangoes that are not under the Asica Organics division as ecological and organically as possible. This means we minimize the use (sometimes don’t use at all) any of the industry additives and instead we use our natural methods based on our agricultural experience, manual labor instead of insecticides, and compost and organic fertilization. Furthermore, in order to be organically certified the certification body makes sure the production lot was produced following organic standards, meaning absolutely no residues in the production lots.”
“There is a percentage of the total production that stays in Peru, since Peruvian cuisine uses ginger, for example, in “Chifa” (popular Peruvian-Chinese cuisine). Usually all the “good looking” hands and bigger sizes are exported. The main markets for Peru’s organic ginger is the United States, Europe and Canada. There is an increase in the demand for Peruvian organic ginger as it offers quality, taste, and is grown in pristine conditions. For instance, I was talking to an organic ginger beer producer and they said that they only work with organic ginger from Peru since they need 3 times less the amount purchased if you buy China ginger. Not to mention the flavor profile is much better making their products more competitive by using Peruvian instead of others. I would assume the same goes restaurants and horeca sector where they demand quality instead of quantity”, continues Kent.
Kent tells us that they are very proud to provide the world with Peruvian organic ginger. “It all could be achieved by demanding more Peruvian organic ginger at the local stores, point of sales, and retailers. Also, consumers can feel good about this: Pichanaki and el VRAE (Valle de los Rios Apurimac, Ene y Mantaro) is an area which needs economic development and Asica Organics and the organic ginger industry is here to provide sustainable long-term economic mobility in the area. The best way for these communities to develop is by job opportunities and offering a method for self-determination. Through the combination of offering the ability to partake in sustainability, take advantage of the growing climate, and develop the communities we can offer everyone a win-win.”
According to Kent, many countries say they produce organic ginger, but it’s often grown under very few organic standards. “It’s important for consumers to understand that the organic products they buy from Peru, are truly organic. The Peruvian organic ginger is known to be entirely naturally grown and in some cases untouched. Due to the conditions in which the root is produced, we simply don’t need to add many supplements in order to have a quality result. Our ginger is a 100% free of chemicals. We believe that the Peruvian organic ginger has better and more intense taste, color, juice, and is packed with vitamins and health benefits. The only “downside” when compared to the competing countries, such as China is that the product size might be a bit smaller.”
“We Peruvians need to focus on quality and keep sourcing the organic ginger 100% from the rainforest grown in a small- and medium scale. That is the only way we can make our products different from competing countries. When considering the difference between ginger grown in Peru and other countries, it’s clear for us that non-industrial farming is better for the ecosystem and provides for a better environment for the ginger to develop.
In order for Peru to maintain a reputation for quality Peruvians must ensure that: the hands are clean, trimmed correctly, harvested at the right maturity level, and dried correctly. This will ensure there will not be problems during transport or with the shelf life at the retailer”, concludes Kent.
For more information: Kent Lancaster
Asica Organics/ GRUPO ASICA
T:
E: kent.lancaster@asicanatural.com
www.asicanatural.com