Nadia
A farmer-conserved, high-yielding ginger from Meghalaya (local name Ing Bah) with bold rhizomes and low fibre.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Ginger
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- About 200 days; harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU)
- Expected yield
- High
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Moderate
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Nadia is a farmer-conserved ginger cultivar known locally as 'Ing Bah' in Meghalaya, where the state agriculture department now promotes it, along with the ICAR-IISR varieties IISR Mahima and IISR Varada, as an improved option for the state's ginger belt. We found no ICAR institute or formal release record for it. It reads as a traditional selection, not a bred and released variety, so its yield and quality figures here come from the TNAU variety table. Rhizomes are bold, lumpy and round, borne in three-layered compact clumps, with smooth light-brownish skin and pale-yellow flesh. The taste is moderately pungent and mild, fibre is low (3.9% in the TNAU table) and dry recovery is 22.6%. Oleoresin (5.4%) and oil (1.4%) are lower than in Maran or Rio-de-Janeiro, so it suits fresh ginger and drying better than an extract buyer.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Nadia if you farm in Meghalaya, where the state agriculture department promotes it as an improved option. The TNAU variety table lists it at 28.55 t/ha green ginger, above Varada's 22.6 and Mahima's 23.2, with 22.6% dry recovery and 3.9% fibre. The same table gives about 200 days, but it shows exactly 200 days for most local types and does not say where or when anything was measured, so read that as the age at harvest (8 to 9 months, TNAU) and not a Nadia-specific rating. Nadia has no ICAR release record. Choose Mahima or Varada instead for an IISR-released variety with published recovery figures. Choose Maran if you farm in Tamil Nadu.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- The TNAU variety table lists Nadia at 28.55 t/ha green ginger with 22.6% dry recovery, 3.9% fibre, 5.4% oleoresin and 1.4% oil. The table does not say where or in which year these were measured, so use it to compare varieties, not to promise your own yield.
- One field study describes a Bold Nadia strain as tolerant to soft rot, but that was not confirmed for this variety, so the disease rating stays at Moderate.
- TNAU shows 200 days for Nadia, but also exactly 200 days for most local types, so it reads as a common harvest age and not a ripening rating. TNAU says ginger is harvested 8 to 9 months after planting, when the leaves turn yellow and dry, so watch the leaves and not the calendar.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Meghalaya
Why Meghalaya promotes Nadia next to ICAR varieties
In Meghalaya the state agriculture department promotes Nadia (local name Ing Bah) alongside IISR Mahima and IISR Varada as an improved option for the ginger belt. It is a farmer-conserved cultivar, not an ICAR release, which makes that support worth noting.
The numbers it brings are practical ones: 28.55 t/ha green ginger, 22.6% dry recovery and low fibre at 3.9% in the TNAU variety table. That table does not say where the figures were measured, so treat them as a guide, not a release dossier.
Use that support the way a farmer should. Ask your block agriculture office whether Nadia planting material is being supplied this season, and from where. Buy clean seed rhizomes from a named source and not from an unknown trader.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is planted from rhizomes, so your own field can supply next season. Lift plump rhizomes with healthy buds from plants that showed no rot or yellowing, store them where it is cool, dry and dark, and leave out every soft or mouldy piece — rot carries over in the planting material. Take fresh, clean rhizomes from a research station, a KVK or a government farm when yields drop.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Ginger variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IISR Rejatha | Oil-rich, low-fibre ginger for fresh or dry use | 200 days (Indian Horticulture 2025); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | 22.4 t/ha fresh rhizome (IISR) | Kerala, Karnataka |
| IISR Surasa | Kitchen gardens and grow-bags in Kerala | 220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | 24.33 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR) | Kerala |
| IISR Vajra | The highest IISR ginger yield, with strong flavour | 220 to 240 days (IISR); harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | 26.38 t/ha fresh rhizome on average (IISR variety page) | Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal |
| IISR Varada | Low-fibre, plump ginger with 20.7% dry recovery, for both fresh sale and drying | 195–205 days | ~225 q/ha | Karnataka |
| Mahima | Ginger rated resistant to root-knot nematode, with bold, plump rhizomes, for Kerala | 200 days | 220–270 q/ha (fresh rhizome) | Kerala |
| Maran | Pungent, strong-flavoured ginger from Tamil Nadu and the Karnataka hills, with 10.0% oleoresin and 25.21 t/ha in the TNAU table | About 200 days; harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | Medium–high | Tamil Nadu, Karnataka |
| Nadiathis page | The Meghalaya farmer's ginger (Ing Bah) with 28.55 t/ha, 22.6% dry recovery and low fibre in the TNAU table | About 200 days; harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | High | Meghalaya |
| Rio-de-Janeiro | Bold ginger with high oil (2.3%) and the highest oleoresin (10.5%) in the TNAU table, grown for the fresh market | About 190 days; harvest after 8 to 9 months (TNAU) | 17.65 t/ha fresh rhizome (TNAU table) | Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh |
| Suprabha | Ginger for drying into saunth: 20.5% dry recovery, 8.9% oleoresin and low fibre | About 229 days | About 166 q/ha (fresh rhizome) | Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Ginger is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Ginger plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Ginger variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Ginger into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Ginger rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Ginger seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nadia an official ICAR-released ginger variety?
No. We found no formal ICAR release or notification for it. It looks like a farmer-conserved traditional cultivar that state agriculture departments now promote as an improved option, next to ICAR-bred varieties.
Where is Nadia grown?
Mainly in Meghalaya, where it is known locally as 'Ing Bah'.
How much fresh rhizome yield does Nadia give?
The TNAU variety table lists 28.55 t/ha fresh rhizome with 22.6% dry recovery. It does not say where that was measured, so your own yield will vary with soil, seed and rain.
Is Nadia a fibrous ginger, or good for fresh eating?
Fibre is low, 3.9% in the TNAU table. Oleoresin (5.4%) and oil (1.4%) are lower than in Maran or Rio-de-Janeiro, so it suits fresh use and drying better than a buyer who pays for extract.
Is Nadia resistant to soft rot or other ginger diseases?
One field study reports a Bold Nadia strain as soft-rot tolerant, but that was not confirmed for this variety, so it is rated only Moderate here.
Why is Nadia called Ing Bah in Meghalaya?
Ing Bah is its local name there. If a Meghalaya farmer or the state agriculture department talks about Ing Bah, they mean Nadia.
Is Nadia ginger good for both fresh use and drying?
Yes, as far as the numbers go. Fibre is low at 3.9%, taste is moderately pungent and mild, and TNAU lists 22.6% dry recovery, a little above Varada's 20.7%. Oleoresin is only 5.4%, so ask a buyer what he pays before you plan a dry crop.
Can I plant Nadia in West Bengal or Assam?
The sources we found place it in Meghalaya. Do not assume it will do the same elsewhere. Try a small plot first and ask your KVK.
Should I plan on the 28.55 t/ha TNAU figure for Nadia?
Not as a promise. TNAU's table does not say where or when it was measured. Use it to compare Nadia with other gingers, and plan your own costs on what neighbouring Nadia growers actually dig, not on the table.
Nadia or Mahima or Varada outside Meghalaya?
Outside Meghalaya, prefer an IISR-released variety such as Mahima or Varada, because Nadia has no ICAR release record and its figures here come from the TNAU table, not an ICAR release. Nadia is the improved option the Meghalaya agriculture department promotes. Elsewhere, ask your KVK which ginger they recommend before you buy seed rhizomes.
Sourced from: Ginger production technology, TNAU Agritech Portal (variety table: Nadia 28.55 t/ha green ginger, about 200 days, 22.6% dry recovery, 3.9% fibre, 5.4% oleoresin, 1.4% oil), Ginger harvest, TNAU Agritech Portal (ginger is harvested 8 to 9 months after planting, when the leaves turn yellow and dry). editorial policy.