From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN), has decried the huge size of post-harvest losses suffered by their members annually.
NOPPMAN National President Aliyu Isah disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) office in Kano.
He explained that, due to poor storage facilities nationwide, their members are unfortunately losing about 60 per cent of their harvest, which results in a sharp decline in their overall farm income.
He appealed to the Federal Government to help their members eliminate this reoccurring obstacle which has left their members poorer and in lack
He called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to include them in its Anchor Borrowers Programme the same way it did to rice farmers in Nigeria.
Aside from their inclusion, the Central Bank of Nigeria should also intervene by facilitating the construction of storage facilities across Nigeria, he said.
Isah also tasked the Federal Government to initiate policies and actions that are capable of attracting private sector players to invest in the onion value chain.
He appealed to the Federal Government to ease the exchange rate challenges and the time wasted going through the processes of the Nigeria Customs Service, saying onions are perishable items that cannot stand bureaucratic time-wasting challenges.
He observed that Nigeria presently produces about 1.4 million metric tons of onions, but insisted that the country could farm 2.5 million metric tons of onions annually if supported