A survey conducted on some cash crops especially, those supported by the Federal Government initiative under the CBN-Anchor Borrower programme during this year‘s (2018) harvest found a favorable and rewarding adventure to onion growers.
The weather was conducive while many youths ventured into onion farming thereby; flooding the market with the product. Accordingly, a disclosure made by Alhaji Murtala Bawa Mai Albasa, the Chairman Sokoto Onion Merchants Association (SOMA), The bumper harvest of onion recorded in Sokoto this year is translating into an income boom for its farmers in the state.
He added that, in spite of the rise in production this year, there is no glut because onion is perishable an export commodity as such, the demand is always higher against the relative stability in supply.
A visit to onion depot situated in Kara market Sokoto, Sokoto State showed a lively Mondays and Fridays with not less than 20 Trucks loads of onion leaving Sokoto for various destinations within and outside Nigeria.
Additionally, the survey indicate that, from Sokoto town, the commodity is being transported to various places such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aba, Owerri and Ondo, among other places within Nigeria while to neighbouring countries including Ghana, Cameroun, Cote d’Ivoire and Cotonou in Benin Republic.
Corroboratively, Abdulra’uf Muhammad of Boyekai village in Goronyo Local Government Area of the state asserted that, from his over 35 years’ experience in onion farming, the 2018 harvest is unprecedented as he realised over 1,500 sacks compared to last year’s 900 sacks. Adding that when buying directly from farmers, a sack usually cost N26, 000 to N28, 000 and cost between N30, 000 to N32, 000 at the onion market
In spite of the bumper harvest, a major challenge as observed by the onion farmers is lack of modern storage and preservation facilities. The farmers and marketers called on Government to support them with both facilities and training on technical know-how to ensure their effort did not end in vein.
