Nigeria produces 2 million metric tonnes of onions annually

Nigeria produces as much as 2 million metric tonnes of onions annually, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Muhammad Abubakar, has disclosed. 

Speaking at the 4th Regional Onion Annual Conference and General Meeting in Kano, he added that Nigeria is one of the largest producers of the cash crop globally.

The event was organised by Regional Observatory on Onions for West and Central Africa, in collaboration with the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN).

“One of the commonly consumed vegetable crops in Nigeria is onion.

“In fact, Nigeria is among the largest producers of onions in the world with over two million tonnes produced annually,” the minister stated.

He mentioned that the crop is grown mostly in Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Plateau and Kebbi States, however, there were challenges, which include a shortfall in meeting national demand, especially during the wet season.

The National President, NOPPMAN, Aliyu Isah-Maitasamu, said that the conference was meant to provide them with the opportunity to review their activities after the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that Nigeria required 2.5 million metric tonnes of onions annually.

Meanwhile, it would be recalled that the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN) in September revealed that Nigeria had agriculture exports of N127 billion in Q1 2021, noting that Sesame topped the list of exported agriculture commodities at N41.9 billion.

It added that Sesame could contribute $1.5 billion to Nigeria’s agriculture exports if maximized and also called for the support of the State governments and collaboration of the private and organized sectors with FACAN in boosting agriculture exports in Nigeria. (Nairametrics)