Nigeria produces 2 million tons of onions annually, requires 2.5 million tons

• New processing plants necessary to promote onion production value chain

Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Muhammad Abubakar, on Thursday said Nigeria produces about two million tons of onions annually.

Abubakar, who spoke at the 4th Regional Onion Annual Conference and General Meeting, held in Kano, Northwest Nigeria, pledged to support onion farmers to boost their production for both domestic and export purposes.

According to the Minister, “one of the commonly consumed vegetable crop in Nigeria is onion. In fact, Nigeria is among the largest producers of onions in the world with over two million tons  produced annually.”

Aliyu Isah-Maitasamu, national President of the umbrella group of onion producers, NOPPMAN, said the conference would give them opportunity to review their activities after the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that even though Nigeria produces two million tons of onions annually, the country requires about 2.5 million tons to meet up with the requirement.

Meanwhile, the Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has called for the establishment of small, medium and large scale processing plants to boost the production of the vegetable crop.

The Governor, represented by his Deputy, Dr.Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, said Kano being the third largest onion producing State in the country and having one of its biggest markets in the continent, his administration is working alongside the farmers in the state to enhance their production.