The Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria has outlined reasons for the recent surge in onion prices and the scarcity of the produce across the country.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos, the National President of the Association, Mr. Aliyu Isah, attributed the development to several factors, including flooding, climate change, and a lack of improved seedlings.
Nigeria experienced a sharp increase in onion prices from the fourth quarter of 2024, with a bag selling between N250,000 and N270,000 compared to the previous price range of N70,000 to N90,000. A medium-sized bulb now sells for as much as N500, up from N50.
Isah said the scarcity and price hike stem from low production caused by multiple challenges.
“What caused the scarcity and high cost of onions from the last quarter of 2024 till now is as a result of the flooding. The flooding of 2024 ravaged all our onion farms, from the producing bed of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, up to Adamawa states, resulting in the scarcity of the produce,” he said.
He also cited the release of water from dams in northern states as a major factor.
“In Sokoto, the water was released from Goroyo Dam, and when it got to a certain level, it affected the onion beds from Sokoto, Kebbi, and up to Zamfara states. Additionally, the breakage of dams in Borno State destroyed our onion farmlands,” he explained.
The president further noted the effects of climate change, which resulted in extended rainfall and an outbreak of diseases on onion farms.
“The second issue affecting scarcity and the high cost of onions is that we experienced an extended and high level of rainfall up north in 2024. This high amount of rainfall resulted in high humidity, which caused a disease outbreak popularly called Downy Mildew, destroying most of our onion farms at various stages of cultivation. Some onion farms were affected at the seedling stage, others at the nursery stage, and some when we were about to harvest,” he said.
Isah also highlighted the unavailability of improved onion seedlings as a contributing factor.
“The factors of flooding and climate change have disrupted our local seed production system. We do not have sufficient and quality onion seedlings, so we now rely on hybrid seeds imported from foreign countries. The issue of flooding really affected onion seed production, so local farmers could not get enough seeds to buy. Even with money in hand, farmers couldn’t find seeds from the fourth quarter of 2024.
“This situation led to another problem where some unpatriotic Nigerians imported adulterated onion seeds into the country. Now our farmers are counting their losses because they planted seeds that could not produce bulbs,” he said.
Aliyu also lamented the lack of storage facilities and technology for preserving onions during harvest as a key issue contributing to the price surge.
“Another contributory factor to scarcity and price surge of onions is post-harvest losses. Even when we harvest enough during the season, because we lack improved technology for onion storage, we face more than 50 per cent post-harvest losses. This means that more than half of what we produce is lost after harvest,” he explained.
Despite these challenges, Isah assured that the association is collaborating with the Federal Government to boost onion production and address the price surge.
(NAN)
