Total bulb onion production in Burkina Faso reaches 242,258 tons, i.e. 32.4% of total vegetable production. However this production often suffers from all sorts of parasites and mould and ends up rotting before the producers even see a profit. Storage is at the heart of the problem. At harvest producers find themselves with a large quantity of onions that they must put on the market as they do not have adequate storage facilities.
Between March and April when the offer is higher than the demand, a 100kg sack is sold for 5,000-10,000 CFA francs. Five months later, the same sack is sold at 40,000 CFA francs in July and 60,000 CFA francs between August and October.
There are in fact many stocking methods that exist. In Koudougou, at the regional Pafasp headquarters, there is an onion sales counter, which has branches in other towns. There is also a group conservation unit with a 15 ton capacity like the one in Kilsio. For producers a silo made of local materials, called a Ruudu, exists. The Ruudu allows three tons of onion to be stocked for six months, with a 10% loss.