Onions processors lament annual N300bn post-harvest loss

NO fewer than three hundred billion Naira is being lost annually in Nigeria by onion sellers association due to lack of proper processing in the country.

The national president of National Onion Producers Processors Marketers Association of Nigeria, Isah Aliyu, Sa’idu, said the country is producing about 2million metric tonnes of onions in a year equivalent to about 40 percent of the total production in the country due to lack of effective processing facilities.

He stated this during the inauguration of the first of its kind onion and garlic processing factory in the country established in Sokoto recently.

He said the country despite one of the leading producers of onion and garlic in the world still import onion flakes into the country due to the lack of processing factory which he said was at the detriment of farmers.

He however commended the efforts of the brain behind the factory which he said farmers especially in Sokoto State and its immediate environment will benefits immensely from it.

Speaking earlier, the Director-General of Raw Materials Research And Development Council, represented by Mr Emmanuel Ilyasu, said the inauguration of the factory marks an important milestone for the manufacturing industry in Nigeria.

“As we inaugurate the first wholly indigenous onion and garlic flakes processing plant. I am particularly delighted that this plant was designed and fabricated by Nigerian engineers following the call by the Council to reduce the perennial post-harvest wastages associated with onion and garlic.

“The RMRDC in collaboration with Afri-Generic Synergy Farms Limited, Chimbilco Technical Nigeria Limited and Sokoto State Investment and Properties Company Limited has assiduously worked to see to the objective of processing onion and garlic into flakes on industrial scale following successful R&D by the Council’s in-house research team.

“We hope that this project will spin up other plants as we continue to develop the process technology, especially in Sokoto State and its environs where onion and garlic are largely produced.

“We hope that this plant will create job opportunities for Nigerians, both in the short and long term. I commend the partners and investors who have made this project a reality. They have shown confidence in the Nigerian can-do spirit and have taken concrete steps to help see our R&D results in onion and garlic processing reach their full potential. I urge other investors to follow their example”

He however commend the effort of the Sokoto State Government. “The state has enabled us to effectively discharge our mandates in the state and has also benefited from our projects.

“The RMRDC established the phosphate beneficiation plant which has led to the establishment of more than ten other smaller processing plants; the groundnut oil milling plant and the ongoing mini-cement plant with the capacity to produce 300 metric tons of cement per day, as well as the common facility centre being established for leather and leather products.

“Also, the production of crops such as tomato, cassava, sesame seed, castor seed and watermelon has been boosted in the state as RMRDC continues to provide improved planting materials to farmers? groups. Computer systems have also been provided to Government Girls Secondary School, Sokoto to enhance learning.

“I am very optimistic that our continuous collaboration would yield mutually beneficial outcome” he added.

Culled from Nigerian Tribune

https://tribuneonlineng.com/onions-processors-lament-annual-n300bn-post-harvest-loss/