One of the detained trucks in Nigeria
An onion shortage looms as several Ghanaian trucks laden with the vegetable have been detained by armed men in a Northern Nigeria town of Samia in Kebbi State.
The trucks and their drivers are being held by armed men as the onions risk getting rotten, the vegetable being a highly perishable commodity.
The Ghanaian trucks are en route from Niger, source of the onion, through Nigeria to Ghana, the normal route followed by the vehicles. The Niger town of Galimi is source of most of the onions imported from the West African nation.
Information gathered by DAILY GUIDE suggest that the detention is traceable to a growing tension between traders of the commodity in Niger and Ghana.
Some Nigerien onion traders in Accra are said to have had their goods prevented from being offloaded by their Ghanaian counterparts.
The armed men are said to be retaliating by taking similar action against Ghanaian transporters.
The traders are said to be getting frustrated as the stand-off continues, and have called on the Ghanaian government to intervene.
After purchasing the onions from the farming community of Galimi, the commodities are transported through Nigeria, into Benin and to Togo and finally to Ghana.
At the time of composing this story, the drivers have been held for four days and the state of the onion which should not be held in hot conditions after harvesting is anything but good.
One of the traders lamented, “We’ve been locked here for almost three days. Our goods are perishing. We are appealing to the government for help.”
Alhaji Fuseini Atiiga, an onion trader in Accra, on Sunday said that the tensions also stem from disagreements between Nigerian traders and farmers over the distribution model of trucks from Nigeria to Ghana.
He explained that in Accra, about 52 trucks are brought in and distributed among associations. However, he said the majority go to a particular association, which the Nigerien traders oppose.
Onion production thrives under hot conditions, which Niger is blessed with, hence the country’s leading role in the production of the vegetable.
The Bawku area in the Upper East Region used to be a preferable route for the traders for many decades until the security challenges in the area made it unwise to patronise.
Onion is a major vegetable in most dishes. Its shortage which is likely unless the current stand-off is resolved, could send the prices skyrocketing.
Adjen Kotoku in the Ga West Constituency of the Greater Accra Region is a major hub of onion in Accra, after the market was relocated from Agbogbloshie during the last political regime.
The security challenge of the detention is also another factor worth considering, Kebbi State being a hotspot of Bokom Haram insurgents. Wielding of arms by non-state actors is not allowed in Nigeria. Who are these armed persons? Some Ghanaian tomato traders were recently killed by armed terrorists in Burkina Faso.
A Daily Guide Report