Nigeria is ranked the third largest onion producing country in Africa with an estimated production of two million tons of onions worth N700 billion annually. Alas, over N300 billion worth of the commodity is lost annually due to post-harvest losses, largely attributed to lack of modern storage facilities and effective processing plants.
According to Aliyu Maitasamu, the national president of National Onion Producers Processors Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN), Nigeria still imports onion flakes into the country due to the lack of processing factories. He thinks this is to the detriment of farmers and traders who are only able to process about 40 per cent of total production.
Maitasamu thinks Nigeria has the capacity to produce over two million tons of onions annually but poor and inadequate storage facilities continue to limit output potentials. He noted that onions currently produced in the country annually are not enough to meet the demands of Nigerians, hence the call for increased production to meet the 2.5 tons required for local consumption.
Source: businessamlive.com