How Climate Change Drives Onion Prices Above 107% In 2024

The price of onions in Nigeria skyrocketed in 2024, climbing as high as 107 per cent compared to the previous year.
In Lagos for instance a bag of onions that cost N130,000 in December 2023 soared to N270,000 by December 2024,
Meanwhile, individual bulbs of the staple that once sold for N50 fetch N500, leaving consumers and traders grappling with the impact especially during the just concluded festive period.
The Onion Producers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria (OPMAN) has shed light on the factors behind this crisis, attributing the spike to a confluence of climate-related challenges and systemic agricultural issues.
Aliyu Isah, the National President of OPMAN, identified the devastating floods of 2024 as a primary culprit. The deluge, exacerbated by climate change, ravaged onion farms across key producing states, including Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, and Adamawa.
He explained that the flooding of 2024 that ravaged all our onion farms resulted in the scarcity of the produce.
He further detailed how dam collapse in Borno State and the release of water from Goroyo Dam in Sokoto compounded the damage, washing away onion beds across multiple states.
Beyond flooding, prolonged rainfall and increased humidity triggered a widespread outbreak of Downy Mildew, a disease that devastated onion farms at various stages of cultivation.
According to Isah in an interview, “The high amount of rainfall resulted in high humidity, which caused a disease outbreak that destroyed most of our onion farms. Some were affected at the seedling stage, some at the nursery stage, and others just before harvest.”
This combination of extended rainfall and disease worsen the vulnerability of Nigeria’s agricultural sector to the growing impacts of climate change.
Isah blamed another significant challenge on the scarcity of quality onion seedlings where floods disrupted local seed production, forcing farmers to rely on imported hybrid seeds, which were both expensive and sometimes of poor quality.
“In some cases, unpatriotic individuals imported adulterated onion seeds, leaving farmers with crops that failed to produce bulbs, this led to widespread losses and further reduced the availability of onions in the market, he said.
Even during years of adequate harvests, Nigeria’s lack of modern storage facilities has been a persistent issue. Isah lamented that post-harvest losses account for over 50 per cent of onion production.
“More than half of what we produce is lost after harvest due to inadequate storage technology. This contributes significantly to the scarcity and high prices of onions,” he noted.
Recognising the severity of the crisis, OPMAN said it is collaborating with the federal government to address these challenges.
The association advocated for investment in improved seed production, climate-resilient farming practices, and modern storage infrastructure.
He said, “What caused the scarcity and high cost of onions is primarily the flooding of 2024, we experienced extended and heavy rainfall, which created high humidity and led to outbreaks of Downy Mildew, a disease that destroyed onion farms at various stages of cultivation.”
He continued, “We also had the problem affecting onion production with the release of water from dams from the northern states, also, we had the breakage of dams in Borno State which destroyed our onion farmlands.
“The second issue affecting scarcity and the high cost of onions is that we experienced an extended and high level of rainfall up north in 2024.
“So, the high amount of rainfall resulted in high humidity which resulted in a disease outbreak popularly called Downy Mildew, which destroyed most of our onion farms at various stages of cultivation.
“Some onion farms were affected at the seedling stage, some at nursery stage, some when we were even about to harvest the onion,” he said.
He noted, “The third is the issue of unavailability of the produce due to lack of improved onion seedlings.
“We do not have sufficient and quality onion seedlings, so we now rely on hybrid seeds that we import from foreign countries.
“The issue of flooding affected onion seed production so local farmers could not get enough seed to buy. This situation also resulted in the unavailability of onions. From the fourth quarter of 2024, our farmers with their money could not see seed to buy.
“This also culminated in a serious problem where some unpatriotic Nigeria imported adulterated onion seed into the country and now our farmers are counting their losses because they planted a seed that cannot produce a bulb. Another contributory factor to scarcity and price surge of onions is post-harvest losses.
“Even when we harvest enough during the season because we lack improved technology of onion storage, we are being faced with more than 50 per cent post-harvest losses.
“This is to say that more than half of what we produce, we lose it after harvest. So, all these are part of the problem that is making the onions too expensive.”