IMPACT OF COMMERCIAL GINGER CULTIVATION ON ECONOMIC VARIABLES: A CASE STUDY ON LOHIT AND LOWER DIBANG VALLEY DISTRICTS OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Ginger has treasured the world all over as a culinary herb, condiment, spice, home remedy and medicinal agent. Its economic significance never diminishes. Continued recognition of ginger is guaranteed in perpetual human society as long as society itself flourishes. Commercial ginger cultivation has been changing economic face and structure of Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit regions of Arunachal Pradesh since early 1990s. It has positive and remarkable impact on economic variables like acquisition of consumer durables, construction of buildings, construction of channels & roads and employment generation etc. Infact, it has been consistently redefining socio-economic image of the study area to better stratum. During the present study it is unveiled that a household made annual investment of Rs 16133 on acquisition of consumer durables from saved income earned from ginger. Likewise, annual investment made on construction of building is Rs 29,142. Throughout the study period of ten years, ginger field has provided 2893 man-days in terms of employment generation with an average of 289 man-days per year in the study area. In this paper an attempt is made to study impact of commercial ginger cultivation on some selective economic variables like acquisition of consumer durables, development of roads & bridges, construction of buildings and employment generation in the Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit districts.