Despite pests, flooding, lack of storage facilities and high cost of transportation caused by the scarcity of petroleum products, onion farmers in Kebbi State say they have cause to smile this year.
In many of the onion markets in the state, a bag sold for between N15,000 and N25,000 last year. But it is sold for between N40, 000 and N42,000 this year, with traders from Morocco, Ghana, Niger, Benin Republic and Cote D’Ivoire thronging the various onions markets in Aliero, Yauri, Shanga, Gwandu,Ngaski, Suru, Danko Wasagu and Maiyama LGAs to buy onion in large quantities.
The state’s secretary of the onion producers association, Alhaji Aminu Usman Danwarai, told our correspondent that onion farmers in communities such as Danwarai, Zadam and Sabiyal in Aliero LGA and others faced serious challenges from a disease known as dazazalau.
Danwarai said, “Apart from this, there are the issues of fertiliser, chemicals and fuel scarcity that we contend with. The production of onion was also largely affected by flooding. Many of our farmers in the fadama areas in 15 LGAs suffered losses due to flooding. Farmlands were taken over by water and many farmers lost onions that were about to be harvested. But thank God, onion business is still good for us this year. Buyers are coming from the North, South East and South West parts of the country and beyond.
“It is so good that our dealers are exporting onion to some countries. But we are currently facing challenges in transporting the onions from the North to the South. The cost of transportation has gone up so much beyond our expectations. Last year we used to pay N6,000 on a bag of onion, but we now pay N10,000.
“Another challenge we are facing is storage. Most of our farmers lack access to modern storage facilities. Though the Federal Ministry of Agriculture trained some of our farmers on how to protect their onion from damage within a short time of harvesting, many of us still use the old method and our onion gets damaged within two months of harvesting, whereas the modern storage facilities can protect onion from March to August.”
He further said that for the farmers to increase their onion output the government must come in to support and assist them.
He said, “We spend a lot on fertiliser, chemicals and fuel during production. Onion farmers in Kebbi State are over 500,000. Members of onion producers association are over 150,000 at present. We need the government to assist us to increase our production capacity and as well transport our product to neighbouring countries. There are lots of job opportunities for many of our youths in the onion chain business. Presently, many of them are engaged in the farming process, harvesting, uploading and offloading of the produce at the various onion markets in the state.”
Another onion farmer in Maiyama, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, told our correspondent that he lost over 70 per cent of his onion that was about to be harvested to disease, noting that some of the farmers in other areas of the state also suffered similar losses to either diseases or flooding.
He said, “This is the situation this year, but in all the price of onion is good for us this year in Kebbi State,” adding that, “Government should come in to support our efforts.”
