The Onion Producers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria has attributed the surge in onion prices and scarcity across the country to flooding and climate change.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos, the National President of the Association, Mr Aliyu Isah, outlined the factors behind the rising cost of onions.
NAN reports that from the fourth quarter of 2024, onion prices skyrocketed, with a bag selling between N250,000 and N270,000āup from N70,000 to N90,000 in previous months. Similarly, the price of a medium-sized onion bulb rose from N50 to N500.
According to Isah, the sharp increase stems from a combination of flooding, dam water releases, and climate change, all of which significantly hampered production.
āWhat caused the scarcity and high cost of onions from the last quarter of 2024 till now is as a result of the flooding,ā Isah stated.
āThe flooding of 2024 that ravaged all our onion farmsāfrom the producing beds of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, up to Adamawaāresulted in the scarcity of the produce.
āWe also had the problem affecting onion production with the release of water from dams in the northern states.
āIn Sokoto, the water was released from Goroyo Dam. When it reached a certain level, it affected the onion beds from Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states.
āAdditionally, the breakage of dams in Borno State destroyed our onion farmlands,ā he explained.
Isah also highlighted the role of climate change in exacerbating the situation, citing prolonged rainfall and disease outbreaks as significant contributors to the scarcity.
āThe 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.
āThe high amount of rainfall resulted in high humidity, which led to disease outbreaksāpopularly called Downy Mildewāthat destroyed most of our onion farms at various stages of cultivation.
āSome onion farms were affected at the seedling stage, some at the nursery stage, and others just before harvest,ā Isah said.
He further attributed the shortage to a lack of improved onion seedlings, which disrupted local production.
āThe third issue is the unavailability of the produce due to a lack of improved onion seedlings.
āFlooding and climate change affected and disrupted our local seed production system.
āWe do not have sufficient and quality onion seedlings, so we now rely on hybrid seeds imported from foreign countries.
āThe issue of flooding severely affected onion seed production, preventing local farmers from accessing seeds. By the fourth quarter of 2024, even with money in hand, farmers could not find seeds to buy.
āThis resulted in a serious problem, as some unpatriotic Nigerians imported adulterated onion seeds. Now, our farmers are counting their losses because they planted seeds that cannot produce bulbs,ā he lamented.
Isah also pointed to inadequate storage facilities and technology as further contributors to the price hike.
āAnother contributory factor to the scarcity and price surge of onions is post-harvest losses.
āEven when we harvest enough during the season, we lack improved technology for onion storage, resulting in more than 50 per cent post-harvest losses.
āThis means that more than half of what we produce is lost after harvest. All these factors contribute to making onions expensive,ā Isah said.
He revealed that the association is collaborating with the Federal Government to boost production and mitigate rising onion prices.
NAN
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