The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Muhammad Abubakar, has said Nigeria produces about two million metric tonnes of Onions annually.
While speaking at the 4th Regional Onion annual conference and general meeting held in Kano State, he said Nigeria is among the largest producers of onions in the world.
The event was organised by Regional observatory on Onions for West and Central Africa, in collaboration with National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN).
He said, “One of the commonly consumed vegetable crop in Nigeria is onion.“In fact, Nigeria is among the largest producers of onions in the world with over two million tonnes produced annually.”
Abubakar pledged to support onion farmers to boost their production, for domestic and export purposes.
Represented by the Ministry’s Kano state coordinator, Mr. Abba Gana-Yamani, the minister noted that onion had many health benefits.
According to him, the crop was grown mostly in Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Plateau and Kebbi States.
“Onion offers excellent health benefits, and ease of cultivating the crop makes it a lucrative venture for any aspiring farmer.
“Onion is used in the preparation of most of the popular Nigerian delicious meals and has numerous health benefits which included lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels,” he said.
The minister, however, noted that although there were many farmers involved in the production of red onions, there were still a shortfall in meeting national demand, especially during the wet season.
