Floods, fake seeds behind high Onion prices – Farmers’ President
… Says prices set to drop by March, April
The National President of the Onion Farmers, Producers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Aliyu Maitasamu, has assured that onion prices will decline by March or April this year as various government interventions begin to take effect.
Speaking in an interview with The Hope yesterday, Maitasamu revealed that several intervention programmes have been strategically designed to benefit both farmers and consumers.
He explained that farmers have been engaging with relevant stakeholders, particularly the government, on the need to establish seed multiplication centres in onion-producing states.
Additionally, they have called for the provision of improved seeds and other essential inputs as an immediate measure to curb the soaring cost of onions.
Maitasamu noted that while farmers can process seedlings themselves, seed multiplication centres would help ensure compliance with the regulations of the National Agricultural Seed Council for quality seed production.
He attributed the recent surge in onion prices to multiple factors, including the devastating floods of 2024, a shortage of seedlings from foreign suppliers, and the influx of fake onion seedlings, commonly known as shallot seeds, which failed to produce bulbs, leading to a general decline in production.
According to him, onion farmers possess the knowledge to produce seeds but struggle with maintaining quality.
“They lack awareness of good agricultural practices or best methods for seed production, such as isolation distances and other technical requirements,” he emphasised.
Maitasamu also highlighted the need for investment in storage infrastructure, particularly in onion-producing states, to minimise post-harvest losses.
He appealed for financial support to help farmers recover their losses, expressing hope for intervention from the Federal Government through the House Committee on Agriculture, Agricultural Production and Services, and other relevant ministries and agencies.
As part of ongoing discussions, he mentioned meetings with the National Agricultural Development Fund, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and the Minister of State, who is working towards supplying improved seeds to mobilise farmers for wet season production, an effort aimed at mitigating slow production in 2025.
Additionally, the National Agricultural Development Fund has pledged to develop a financial product for the onion value chain, which could come in the form of a loan or grant.
“They haven’t provided any funding yet, but they have set up a committee, led by the Minister of State for Agriculture, to assess the onion value chain and determine the necessary interventions for onion farmers,” Maitasamu stated.
