Top view of regular red onions
Gbolahan Salman Sokoto
At least not less than 200,000 bags of onions worth N2.4 billion have been destroyed by fire at the Ramin Kura local onion storage facility in Sokoto State.
Aliyu Isah, the National President of Onion Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (OPMAN), revealed that the facility has about 20 local storage facilities with the capacity of 10,000 bags per facility which is equivalent to about 200,000 bags.
He stated that “going by the current market price of N12,000 per bag, the value of the Onions destroyed cannot be less than N2.5 billion.”
OPMAN President expressed fear that this may lead to an onion crisis in the country as experienced in 2020 during the Coronavirus outbreak and the ENDSARS protests.
“I called on to the Federal and State governments to assist farmers and traders in cushioning the effect of the great loss.” He appealed.
Saturday Tribune also gathered that the affected traders are equally expressing fears that the damage caused by the inferno may trigger scarcity.
Speaking about the intention of the association to stop the supplying of Onion to the South Eastern part of the country, Isah said their mission is not to deal with the people of the Southern part of the country but to call on government at all levels to improve security of lives and properties.
He described the incessant attacks on members of the association whenever any group are agitating as uncalled for, saying, the situation of the country affects all including Onion traders.
He said during the last sit at home order by IPOB in the South East, two full truckload of Onions were attacked with goods worth about thirteen million naira.
He described people of the region as partners in progress which he said has been part and parcel of the progress of the association.
