Onion farmers in Nigeria have decried the more than 60 percent post harvest losses encountered every year.
The group is demanding for assistance for the construction of storage facilities to assuage the challenge.
The National Chairman of the Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Aliyu Isah stated this during a chat with the Media at the NUJ Press center, Kano State.
He said on annual basis Onion farmers in Nigeria encounter post harvest losses of between 50-60 percent.
“The group is therefore, calling on the federal government to provide storage facilities for us as well as encourage those who would want to invest in the storage facilities.”
“At the peak of harvest, a farmer sells a bag of Onion at the cost of between N3,000 to N5,000 which is at a give away price because of the lack of storage facilities. The same bag goes for between N50,000 to N60,000 after five months. As at that time whoever stores the product would also lost between 70 to 80 percent of what was stored.”
“You can see why we cry for storage facilities. Currently Nigeria imports Onion powder from China, but we have them perishing here. Those who want to invest in this areas should be encouraged by the government,” said Isah.
He said Nigeria has the capacity to produce over 2.5 million metric tons of Onion annually but currently produces only 1.4 million metric tons of the product.
Isah then called on then Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to include the Onion farmers in the folds of it’s Anchor Borrower Programme, like done to Rice, wheat, Tomatoes and other farmers.
“We are calling on the government to Key Onion farmers into the CBN’s Anchor Borrower Programme like other farmers,” solicited Isah
He equally made a case for the launched Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, ACFTA, to be properly implemented to further ease exportation of the product as there are usually delays in currency transfer through the CBN as well as hitches encountered at the border with Customs officials.
“Onion is a perishable item, sometimes we are delayed for a whole week while processing funds through the CBN and you know what that means. We lose a lot of the product because of the delay. If ACFTA is well implemented, the supply will be based on need and request from the country for the Onion. After supply, we will bring back to Nigeria products we do not have in Nigeria from that county without necessarily going through the CBN,” explained Isah.
He said Onion farming is greatly employing youths, especially in the northern part of the country as such those in the Agric-business should be encouraged.
