The National Onion Producers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN) has announced a state of emergency within the country's onion sector. NOPPMAN is urging collaboration from various stakeholders, including government entities and financial institutions, to address the challenges currently facing the industry.
During a press briefing in Abuja, NOPPMAN's President, Isa Aliyu, highlighted several issues impacting their members, such as the increased cost of onion seedlings, post-harvest losses, inflation, and the effects of climate change and erratic rainfall patterns. Aliyu, who also presides over the Regional Observatory of Onion Sector in West and Central Africa, pointed out the broader economic conditions and inflationary pressures impacting the sector, emphasizing the heightened costs of farm inputs like fertilizer, pesticides, fuel, and labor. He noted that these factors are making it difficult for farmers to maintain profitability.
Aliyu detailed how climate change is introducing unpredictability into agricultural practices, with altered rainfall patterns and unexpected weather conditions affecting traditional growing cycles, leading to crop diseases, waterlogging, and reduced harvests. He stressed the vulnerability this brings to the industry, undermining farmers' ability to plan and execute their cultivation effectively.
He called for support from government entities, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), policymakers, research institutions, financial bodies, agricultural organizations, and the private sector. Aliyu advocated for subsidies on onion seedlings and essential farming inputs, modern storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses, improved transportation systems to prevent spoilage, access to low-interest loans, and training programs on climate-smart agricultural practices.
Source: PUNCH