21st June, 2015
Alhaji Wadata Musa, Vice Chairman, Hamdala Onions Sellers Association, Mile 12 International Market, Lagos has appealed to Federal Government to establish onions processing plants in the country, to reduce wastage.
He told NAN on Sunday in Lagos that onions were available in the country in exportable quantity, but that a large percentage was being wasted due to lack of means of preservation.
Musa explained that Nigeria had the right temperature for the produce to thrive for global consumption, adding that it is grown in Yobe, Kebbi, Gombe, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Plateau and Borno, among other states.
He said that the labour put into the production of onions which was cultivated through irrigation was not commensurate to the small prices charged for the commodity.
Musa said that farmers charged little amounts for it in order to dispose the produce early, before it decomposed.
He added that even with the meagre price, about 50 per cent of the produce was wasted during the rainy season, due to lack of means of storage.
“There are vast opportunities for higher yields which are not being harnessed because government has not looked in the area of bringing in investors to establish onion processing companies in the country.
“We want factories that can process onions and package them like tomatoes and other perishable farm produce. We also want President Muhammadu Buhari to fund research into onions so that whenever there is a bumper harvest, it can be preserved and also channelled to other uses, to minimise wastages and losses to both farmers and traders.
“If Nigeria can process onions into various forms by making it into a paste and also drying some, to retain freshness, it will not only create more jobs but we can also export it to various countries and generate income.
“We sell a bag now for N8, 000 but by December when scarcity begins, we can sell a bag for about N30, 000,” he said.
Musa commended the Lagos State Government for its efforts to provide amenities in the market, to make the environment conducive for both traders and consumers from various parts of the state.
He, however, appealed to the state government not to relocate the market as, according to him, the current location is central and suitable for both traders and consumers.
Musa added that any attempt to relocate the market would endanger the lives of several market women who would now have to move wares from the market in the early hours, daily.
“The state government has provided underground drainages which keep water away from our onions, especially during the rainy season.
“We have tried to conform to various sanitation laws and regulations of the state government and any attempt to relocate the market would cause both traders and consumers a lot of discomfort,” he added.