Gombe partners group to boost onion production in Nigeria
Gombe State Deputy Governor, Dr. Manassah Jatau, has expressed government’s readiness to partner the National Onion Producers , Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN), to boost onion production in the state and the nation.
Jatau made this disclosure on Tuesday, while addressing the National President and members of the Executive Council, NOPPMAN, in his office when they paid him a courtesy visit.
He said onion and other agricultural produce should be encouraged towards boosting revenue.
According to him, “With available land, water and human resources, the state has a lot of advantages to benefit from agriculture, stressing that this would go a long way in augmenting the dwindling resources of oil which is already posing a great challenge to the nation’s economy.
“The intended Industrial Park is a deliberate attempt to providing large scale companies that can assist producers in processing, storing and even marketing their products towards boosting commercial activities in the state for overall development.”
While challenging the officials of NOPPMAN to improve on their activities with a view to scaling up production, processing and marketing their products, “beyond the shores of Nigeria, to earn them hard currencies and boost export activities and our foreign exchange earnings.
“With improvement in their activities, the requisite machines shall be provided for sustainable preservation and it will help in reducing unnecessary waste and enhance maximum utilization of the onions,” Jatau added.
Speaking earlier, the Leader of the delegation who is also the National President, National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Aliyu Isah, informed the Deputy Governor that they were in the state to inaugurate the North East Executive of the Association.
He said the choice of Gombe state was not by coincidence but because of the centrality of Gombe in the North East, and because of the peaceful co-existence and infrastructural development in the state.
The National President noted the positive role Gombe state is playing in the onion value chain, especially, having one of the best markets in the country.
“Apart from its nutritional value, onion has medicinal advantage, and Nigeria ranks one of the major producers with a production rate of 2.5 metric tonnes annually,” he said.
According to Isah, There is balance of 1.1 metric tonnes against the 1.4 metric tonnes national requirement is exported to Niger, Burkina Faso CorteDe’vour and Benin Republic.
Jack Tasha
Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Gombe Deputy Governor’s Office.
