As countries battle food insecurity, Nigeria is losing food and food items due to lack of storage.
The National President of National Onion Producers Processors Marketers Association of Nigeria, Aliyu Maitasamu has lamented the loss of about 300 billion naira worth of onions annually.
Speaking at the commissioning of the first Onion and garlic processing factory in Sokoto over the weekend, he said that despite being one of the leading producers of Onion and garlic in the world , Nigeria still imports onion flakes due to the lack of processing factory .
Aliyu said that based on the annual estimate, the onion produced in Nigeria is more than 700 billion naira but about 40 to 50 per cent of the product worth over 300 billion naira is wasted to post harvest losses due to lack of adequate and effective storage and processing facilities at the farmers disposal.
He commended the efforts of the government and investors in constructing the Onion and Garlic factory.
Speaking at the event, the Director General of Raw Materials Research and Development Council who was represented by Engineer Emmanuel Kwaya said the processing plant, which was designed and fabricated by Nigerian engineers , is to reduce the perennial post-harvest wastages associated with onion and garlic.
He called for more investors to engage in developing more process technology, especially where onion and garlic are largely produced.
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