Nigeria’s onion farmers are getting a significant lifeline. The National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN) has disclosed that it facilitated a N1.6 billion input support package for farmers in Sokoto, Kebbi, Borno, and Yobe states, funded by the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF). The package, which included improved seeds, fertilisers, and agrochemicals, was distributed in November 2025 to stabilise production and curb price volatility in Nigeria’s key onion-producing belt.
The disclosure was made by NOPPMAN President Aliyu Isah at the association’s National Executive Council meeting held Wednesday in Abuja, where he gave a comprehensive breakdown of the organisation’s achievements between June 2024 and May 2026.
The NOPPMAN input support for onion farmers did not stop at one intervention. Isah also revealed that the association secured over N500 million in additional support from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) for farmers in Gombe and Kano. That earlier package, distributed in October 2024, covered certified seeds, knapsack sprayers, agrochemicals, and liquid fertilisers, targeting smallholder farmers at the farm level.
In September 2025, another multi-input package was mobilised from the FMAFS for Sokoto farmers, this time including solar pumps, power tillers, and onion dryers to tackle mechanisation gaps and post-harvest losses. The association also helped secure cash compensation for flood-affected onion farmers from BUA Cement in Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto, covering losses sustained between 2024 and 2026.
Rounding out an active two-year run, NOPPMAN collaborated with Prism Foods for the unveiling of what is described as the largest onion cold-chain storage facility in Kano, inaugurated by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment in April 2025. The facility is designed to cut post-harvest losses and bring more stability to the onion supply chain.
NADF Executive Secretary Mohammed Ibrahim, who addressed stakeholders at the meeting, confirmed that 2,000 onion farmers in Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, and Borno received inputs in 2025 as part of the flood-response effort. “We are committed to the remaining intervention programmes already initiated,” he said.
The Federal Department of Horticulture’s Deputy Director, Afusatu Babalola, representing the FMAFS, described Nigeria’s onion sub-sector as a vital pillar of the agricultural economy, pointing to its role in food security, employment, income generation, and regional trade. She urged industry stakeholders to maintain “unity, transparency and mutual understanding” in advancing the sector.
With climate shocks increasingly threatening northern Nigeria’s farming communities, the scale and consistency of the NOPPMAN input support for onion farmers signals a more coordinated approach to protecting a crop that feeds millions and drives commerce across the country.
