Post-harvest loses: Onion farmers get Aerated storage facility

Onion farmers in Kano State have got Aerated Onion storage technology to mitigate postharvest challenges.

The new storage technology was provided by Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) under the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) partnership to reduce post-harvest losses.

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The technical Coordinator Market Oriented Agriculture, Mr. Isaac Eni, during the 2022 media field day, said the Aerated storage facility is being installed under KSADP project which is funded through a loan facility from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and a grant component from Live and Livelihood Funds (LLF) implemented by SAA under the supervision of Kano Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (KNARDA).

Malam Sanusi Maitaki, the chairman Badume market wing of the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN), said onion farmers in the area have spent years trying to adopt a measure that will ensure sustainability of their business. He said the area has been producing a lot of onions and yet they lack preservation facilities.

“No doubt, onion has over the years become a commodity that generates huge income to farmers along its numerous value chains.

However, farmers have been battling with ways to reduce losses while others were even considering leaving onion for other crops, but these are all stories with the introduction of this new technology,” he said.

The national treasurer of NOPPMAN, Malam Isa Magaji, said the farmers would like the project to increase the number of the aerobic storage facilities, adding that they have started mobilizing members to establish more of the technology.