…Demand from Ghana, Ivory Coast rising
…Festivities drive local purchases
…Low-yield seedlings stunt output growth
It is a happy time for onion farmers who have seen the price of their product jump by 108 percent in one year due to festivities and high demand from West African neighbours.
BusinessDay found that demand for Nigerian onions has risen in Ghana, Ivory Coast and other West African neighbours, with Christmas and New Year festivities adding to the pressure in the south of Nigeria.
Also, some farmers planted low-yield seedlings which could not produce onion crops early enough, thereby piling demand pressure on few baskets available in local markets.
The price of a giant bag of onions rose from N130, 000 in December 2023 to N270, 000 in December 2024 at the Mile 12 Market in Lagos, indicating a 108 percent price jump over the period.
Prices of the onion bulb have also risen in other states across the nation. In Plateau State, a bag of onions rose 108 percent from N120, 000 in December 2023 to N250,000 in December 2024. This is the same situation in Anambra and Delta states.
“The price is very high now due to the Christmas and New Year season and also demand from our neighbouring countries. But there has also been low output due to the fake seedlings planted by some farmers. Nevertheless, those who planted better seedlings are now making a lot of money from onions,” said Danladi Haruna, a Kano State-based onion farmer and trader.
Amir Idris, national secretary of the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN), Kaduna State chapter, said the dominance of poor seedlings is affecting production, making farmers unable to meet high demand from Nigerians and neighbouring countries.
“Farmers have experienced a problem of low yields that can be associated with the negative consequences of poor inputs. The seeds they got were bad and so it affected the yield generally,” Idris explained in a telephone interview.
Idris revealed that a lot of farmers experienced low yields owing to the poor seedlings they planted during the dry planting season in October, which have led to “low supply while demand is high.”
He noted that the current surge has become more alarming to consumers because of the festivities – Christmas and New Year celebrations.
In local markets today, a bundle of six small onions is sold for N1,500 as against N500 in the same period of 2023, indicating a 200 percent rise.
According to the national secretary, Nigerians should get ready to cope with the surging onion price until high-yielding hybrid seeds are presented to farmers.
“The possibility of a decline is uncertain because, in the last three to four weeks, there have been a lot of complaints about poor seedlings by the dry season farmers,” Idris said.
However, Haruna, earlier quoted, said it has presented an opportunity for farmers, noting that he has made millions of naira from onion production and sales.
“It is unfortunate that consumers are paying more, but a few farmers who laboured during last year’s dry season are smiling today. That’s how agriculture business is, sometimes,” he added.
Currently, planting and other activities for dry season onion production for the year 2025 have commenced.
According to Idris, although efforts have been made by the association to meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to discuss solutions to the issues in the sector, no productive solutions have been proffered.
Training is inevitable
He proposed training for local seed producers in Zaria State with the National Horticultural Research Institute which, if implemented, will enhance the production of quality local seedlings.
“There is a proposal for the National Horticultural Research Institute to train our local seed producers in Zaria,” he said.
He explained that a part of the training has taken place in Sokoto — the leading producing State of the bulb — earlier in 2024, which was meant to educate local seed producers on how to produce high-quality yielding onions seedlings.
Neighbouring nations piling pressure
Kabiru Farakwai, organising secretary of NOPPMAN, Kaduna chapter, re-echoed the sentiments, noting the prevalence of bad seeds is a major driver of the onion price surge in the country.
“Many farmers are facing the challenge of bad seeds. This was caused by some of the seeds marketers brought,” Farakwai, who is also a farmer, remarked.
He said that the demand for Nigerian onions is high amongst neighbouring countries like Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, which is further mounting pressure on supply.
He also noted that some parts of Yobe State experienced severe flooding in 2024, which contributed to a low supply of the bulb.
“There was the issue of floods in two local governments in Yobe State. They experienced a lot of floods around August and September 2024. This also affected yields,” Farakwai explained.
Data shows that Nigeria is the fourth producer of onions in West Africa behind Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco. It exports to other neighbouring countries and ranks 24th in the world.
The FAOStat data shows that in 2023, Africa’s most populous nation produced 244,051 metric tons of onions, reflecting a need for improved seedlings to boost yield.
Onions are a major ingredient in many local dishes, including stews, Jollof rice, beans, and soups. They play a key role in Nigerian dishes, and, hence, their surging prices are straining consumer wallets.
(BusinessDay)
