Essential Ndubuisi
Blessing Uchendu
A few months back, the price of onion in Nigeria made headlines as the cost of the commodity hit an all-time high due to an apparent dip in the supply.
Currently, market surveys indicate that the price is on its way down as a result of new harvests, contrary to few months ago when onion was like gold; expensive for its high demand and scarce supply.
Recent market developments also show that a bag of onions, was formally sold at twenty thousand to twenty-five thousand before but rose to seventy thousand to eighty thousand naira during last year’s November and December, however, the story is no longer the same, as it is now sold for between fifteen thousand and eighteen thousand naira.
Speaking to our correspondent on what prompted the hike in price, onions traders at Eke Awka and Amaenyi Markets attributed the development to flooding, seasonal scarcity, covid-19 disruption, killing of farmers by herdsmen and the endsars protest which led to slow down in cultivation.
Another onion seller, Mrs Chinyere Abah, said that the price of onions would further drop as its season of abundance is gradually getting closer, and urged the government to build storage facilities for traders to preserve the perishable items such as onions so that it would be available all year.
For Mrs Ogechukwu Boniface and Chinasa Anajemba, who are also onions sellers, the blame on the high costs of onion months back falls on increased logistics charges.
Some buyers, Ebele Adum, Chinonso Nosike and Ify Obidike, expressed happiness that the price of the commodity had come down greatly when compared to the past months, saying that they can now buy onion and in large quantity, with any amount, and called for a lasting solution to its scarcity to help the masses.
