Crashing Onion Prices in Nigeria: Producers Deny Impact of Niger Republic Imports

The National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN) and the Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa (ORO/WCA) have refuted as misleading a recent report alleging that massive onion imports from the Niger Republic are responsible for falling prices in Nigeria.

In a joint statement issued in Sokoto on Sunday, the associations described the report as “false, unfounded, and unsupported by any credible trade or market data.”

The bodies emphasised Nigeria’s dominance in onion production within Sub-Saharan Africa, asserting that the country remains a net exporter of onions—not an importer—especially to neighbouring countries like Niger Republic.

“Nigeria’s domestic production far exceeds that of Niger Republic, which actually depends on our supply during its lean seasons,” the statement noted.

To expatiate their position, the associations presented current market price data revealing that importing onions from Niger is commercially unviable.

“As of July 2025, onions in Niger Republic cost between 35,000 to 50,000 CFA (₦95,000 – ₦135,000) per bag, excluding transport and duty costs. Meanwhile, prices in Nigeria range from ₦90,000 to ₦100,000 per bag,” they explained.

The groups stressed that such pricing patterns clearly demonstrate that the alleged influx of cheaper onions from Niger is economically unrealistic.

Recalling a similar market scenario from March 2025, the statement added that while Nigerian onions sold for ₦40,000 per bag at that time, Nigerien onions were priced at 15,000 CFA (about ₦50,000), further debunking any narrative of cheaper imports flooding Nigerian markets.

Rather than foreign imports, the associations identified internal factors—such as seasonal production cycles, inadequate storage infrastructure, and local supply-demand dynamics—as the real causes of onion price volatility in the country.

The groups expressed concern over what they called “sensational journalism” that threatens to distort public understanding and policy around Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

“We urge reputable media houses like The Guardian to verify facts with recognised stakeholders before going to press. Such inaccuracies can damage the integrity of our agricultural value chain,” the statement warned.

In a related note, NOPPMAN and ORO/WCA commended the Federal Government, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), for ongoing interventions aimed at supporting onion farmers, especially those affected by recent floods.

Looking ahead, the organisations reaffirmed their commitment to expanding onion production through modern storage systems, processing facilities, and stronger market linkages to ensure long-term food security and economic development.

They called on policymakers, researchers, and the public to rely on data from credible sources such as NOPPMAN and ORO/WCA when engaging with agricultural trade issues.

“As the backbone of onion production in the region, we remain committed to transparency and collaboration in advancing Nigeria’s agricultural prospects,” the statement concluded.

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Desertification Taking Up 43% of Nigeria’s Land, 40 million Livelihoods at Risk – FG

The Federal Government of Nigeria has said desertification and land degradation are threatening the livelihoods of over 40 million Nigerians and have already impacted 43% of the country’s total landmass, approximately 923,000 square kilometres.

The Minister of Environment, Mr. Balarabe Lawal, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja at a National Dialogue themed “Restore the Land: Unlock the Opportunities.”

The event was put together by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) under its Climate Change Project, with support from the Federal Ministry of Environment.

The dialogue was held to commemorate the 2025 World Desertification and Drought Day (WDD) as well as Sand and Dust Day.

Represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Mahmud Kambari, the minister described land degradation as a global crisis.

Lawal noted that dryland degradation had resulted in the loss of 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil globally, significantly reducing food production and threatening food security.

Citing the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Lawal said that more than two million hectares of land were lost annually to desertification, land degradation, and drought.

“In spite of this, it is estimated that 300 million hectares of land will be required to meet food demand by the year 2030,” he said.

He explained that the 2025 WDD theme emphasized the importance of investing in sustainable land management practices to prevent and reverse land degradation.

The efforts, he said, also tackled broader challenges such as economic and food insecurity, water shortages, and climate change.

Lawal stressed that achieving Nigeria’s socio-economic growth targets would not be possible without environmental protection and sustainable management of land and natural resources.

He added that the government was prioritizing environmental issues and had developed institutions, policies, action plans, programmes, and projects aimed at addressing land degradation, desertification, and related environmental threats.

In her remarks, Mrs Regina Nwaneri, Director of the Department of Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought Management, said Nigeria, as a party to the UNCCD, remained committed to combating desertification.

However, she warned that current land restoration efforts were not at a scale sufficient to meet urgent national and global needs.

She noted that in spite of UN projections that one billion dollars was needed daily from 2025 to 2030 to combat land degradation, current investments in restoration efforts fell short of that goal.

Nonetheless, she acknowledged the Nigerian government’s ongoing investments in land restoration and drought management.

Earlier, Mr Ifeanyi Chukwudi, Senior Project Manager at CJID, stated that the centre was working with relevant ministries and stakeholders to promote scalable, policy-driven interventions.

He added that CJID was also supporting research and the media in raising awareness of drought and desertification challenges.

“We have engaged more than 500 journalists across Nigeria and the Lake Chad region to spotlight land issues and bring them to the forefront for policymakers’ attention,” Chukwudi said.

He called on the government to hold land users accountable, particularly organizations that extracted natural resources without approval, proper land assessments, or adherence to regulatory procedures.

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Nigeria’s Agricultural Sector Under Late Muhammadu Buhari’s Tenure (2015-2023)

President Muhammadu Buhari, promised in May 2015, when he assumed office, that his administration would promote self-sufficiency in agriculture and food production. The former Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, described Buharism as a kind of bourgeois nationalism that is radical in the sense of being a progressive move away from domination by a parasitic elite, to one in which a nationalist and productive class gains ascendancy. Buharism also believed in its long-held principle argument against Naira devaluation as the means to improve Nigeria’s balance of trade. This is based on its premise that there are superior alternatives for relieving pressure on Nigeria’s foreign reserve.

An expression of this was the appointment of Hameed Ali, a retired army colonel, as Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, which enforced import restriction measures on 41 essential items. The reason was that the products could be produced locally and would relieve the pressure on the Naira. Some of the banned items were agricultural finished products like Rice, fertiliser, Sugar, Meat, Fish, and Poultry. This policy was also intended to create opportunities for local producers in the domestic market. While there have been highlighted successes, there have been unmet expectations, as well, especially where the projected increased production of the banned items and impact on agricultural development in Nigeria didn’t happen.

The Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) was the main agricultural initiative of the government. It was formulated by the CBN and launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015. The ABP aimed to provide farmers with agri-inputs in cash and kind. Included in this laudable initiative was also a scheme to connect farmers with off-takers, who would in turn pay fair prices. This Credit support was provided each year, ahead of the season, by the CBN and the farmers are expected to repay the obligation with their harvests, just like a contract farming model. About 4.2 million farmers are said to be registered on the programme, and participation is limited to only one hectare of farmland per farmer.

The focus of agricultural economics is mainly on increasing growth and productivity of farmers. The ABP was designed to focus on increasing the number of farmers. As existing progressive farmers are not allowed and encouraged to reach 5 hectares (highest class for small commercial farmers) there has been no growth, no increased income and therefore, no spending in the rural economies and, by extension, no employment and income for the rural poor. This policy has not reduced poverty.

The ABF scheme has not grown. One of the reasons for its lack of growth is the high rates of default in repayments from the farmers. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) 76% of the beneficiaries have defaulted even though repayment can be made in kind, thereby limiting the tenor to one season. The IMF claims that the cause of default is because the recipients of the loans are not always well targeted. Corruption may have blighted the opportunity for the scheme to register experienced and committed farmers.

At the ABP launch in 2015, President Buhari was particularly hopeful that it would accelerate local rice and wheat production. Since then, we have seen an unprecedented increase in the production of rice and massive development along the rice value chain, with about 50 new large-scale milling factories established across the country. The success is impressive, and the country has benefited with sufficiency in rice, employment, and income for many tens of thousands through the value chain. However, the programme has failed to show any impact on local wheat production. The CBN has now succumbed to the age-old response of import substitution and political appeasement by launching The Brown Revolution. The Brown Revolution has to come under scrutiny because the CBN has spent over N40 billion for a one-season programme.

The CBN’s direct involvement in agricultural policies and implementation within the last 8 years is as a result of the emphasis of the Buhari administration on the conservation of foreign reserve through import restriction measures – a Buharism alternative to neo-classical economics. Agricultural developmental projects and programmes that came after the ABP, implemented by the government appear to have been an afterthought. The roles of developmental agencies and institutions like the Bank of Agriculture, may have been usurped by the CBN’s very direct involvement in their traditional roles.

Credit –

GYANT

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