Malam Ahmadu Audu, a 75-old-year onion grower in Gombe State, says he makes about N500,000 annually from onion farming.
Audu stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday at his farm in Dogon Ruwa community in Kaltungo Local Government Area of the state.
NAN reports that onion also known as bulb onion or common onion is a vegetable most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.
Onion is used mainly as a food item and it can either served cooked or eaten raw.
Most of the onions are pungent when chopped and contain certain chemical substances which may irritate the eyes.
Onions are great vegetable containing various vitamins, minerals and potent plant compounds that have been shown to promote health.
It is also popular due to its medicinal properties and used to treat ailments like headaches, mouth sores and hearth disease among others.
In 2019, global onions production was put at 4.5 million tonnes with China producing 22 per cent of the world total production, followed by Japan, Mali and South Korea as secondary producers
Audu described onion cultivation as “lucrative” which attracted many farmers in the area, adding that he had been in the trade for over a decade.
The Septuagenarian farmer, who is married to two wives and 15 children, said that he used the proceeds from the sale of the vegetable to fend for his household.
He noted that onion cultivation during dry season activities assisted farmers in the community to keep up with their household needs.
“Here in Dogon Ruwa and the adjourning Garin Bako community, farmers are making enough from onion farming especially during the dry season.
“I can tell you that I make big money from onion farming even though I cultivated other crops during wet season. I have been cultivating onions for 10 years now and I am happy.
“By the grace of God every year I earn up to N500,000 from onion farming. I hope to cultivate it more than once in a year with assistance of my sons.
“If government can explore this potential by investing to enhance farmer access to water and other irrigation facilities, it will encourage cultivation of onion in commercial quantity.
“This will reduce poverty in Dogon Ruwa and neighbouring communities,’’ he said.
According to him, onion cultivation is easy and profitable, adding that it could be cultivated within three months from planting to the harvest.
Audu said that the vegetable was in high demand in Gombe and other states across the country.
The farmer identified lack of fertiliser and high cost of inputs as some of the challenges affecting onion farmers in the state.
“This is where the government can assist us, we always hear that fertiliser had been subsidised but we do not get it, and we could not afford the exorbitant prices in the markets,’’ he said.
Audu urged youth in rural areas especially those close to water bodies to embrace irrigation farming like vegetables to earn a living rather than staying idle, engage in drugs abuse and other criminalities.
“Crimes and vices like drug abuse do not impact positively on anyone irrespective of age.
“Youths should turn away from drugs and crimes to harness the opportunity in agriculture, because we are earning a living from onion farming.’’
“If at 75; I can earn N500,000 from onion farming, imagine a youth with energy. Most of our youths here sustain themselves through onion farming as you can see them weeding their farms.’’
