Onion harvest begins in Katsina

It is harvest time for onion farmers in Katsina State. It is coming at a time of high market value as against their experience last year. Last year, the price of 100kg bag went for N7,000 and later reached the peak of N9,800. This year, the farmers are already selling the same quantity at N12,000 […]

It is harvest time for onion farmers in Katsina State. It is coming at a time of high market value as against their experience last year.

Last year, the price of 100kg bag went for N7,000 and later reached the peak of N9,800. This year, the farmers are already selling the same quantity at N12,000 at the farm.

One of the farmers in Danja LGA, Malam Mu’azu Ahmadu, said onion farming this year has good prospects, especially now that they are recording a bumper harvest.

“Because of the rainfall pattern we are experiencing this year, our onions matured after 75 days of planting and enjoyed good condition with little disease attack,” he said.

The farmer observed that because of the quality of the produce, the price is better this year than last year.

“Despite the fact that onion has no stable price, the price this year is better than that of the last year and only God knows what would happen by September- October,” he added.

Another farmer in Alhazawa village, Yunusa Abdul-Rashid, thanked the Federal Government for the Anchor-Borrower programme through which, he said, farmers accessed fertilizer easily at affordable prices.

“We enjoyed abundant supply of fertilizer and at a lower price this year. We bought a bag of fertilizer last year at N7,000 to N10,000 but this year, up to the time we concluded the first phase of our onion farming, the price remained between N5,800 and N6,000,” the farmer said.

He, however, expressed worry that the farmers are yet to come across modern storage facility for perishable produce.