Price of onions hit all-time high ahead of festive season

Onions na one of di main vegetables wey pipo dey use cook all di time.

2024 don see unstable price of onions for market and for di first time within di year, di price don go high pass how e don ever be befor.

Dis one don make pipo dey vex and wonder wetin cause di high price of onions and wen di price fit come back to normal.

BBC News Pidgin report for some parts of Nigeria show say one bag of onions dey sell for 200 to 300 thousand naira ($193.71).

But some months ago, di same bag of onions na just 30 to 40 thousand naira ($19.37).

Wetin cause di high price of onions dis year?

BBC find say di main reason why onions price high na di flood wey happun during dis year rainy season.

One farmer confam am say di flood spoil onion seeds.

Saadu Gata, one trader wey dey sell vegetable, say di heavy rain na im cause di wahala.

"Dis year, plenty rain fall, and e spoil di onions seeds for farm."

E adda say "Christmas wey dey come self follow add to di wahala, but na di rain wahala cause am pass. Na why we dey buy onions now for ₦220,000 to ₦230,000 for Kano, depending on how di onions be."

For some cities for Southern Nigeria like Port Harcourt a big bag of onions dey cost 270 thousand naira per bag while di small sugar bag dey cost between 160,000 to 170,000 naira.

Dis dey make di retail price of onions to dey between 1000 for four bulbs while di bigger bulbs dey go for 2000 naira.

Aliyu wey be dealer for vegetable for Sokoto state confam say dis na di first time dem dey see onion dey expensive like dis.

"Dis na di first for Sokoto wey we dey sell or buy onions for 220,000 naira per bag and di reason be say na heavy rain fall for dis year wey spoil onion seeds for farms"

"Also Christmas na anoda reason wey make di price high" im tok.

For Lagos state, di price for one bag of onion don reach around 300,000. And dis na sake of di high cost of transport from wia dem dey buy am down to Lagos.

One market woman for di popular Mile 12 market say dem also dey buy onions from pipo wey bring come from di North and na all di cost of transportation dem dey comot wen dem wan sell.

All Farmers Association of Nigeria tok say even though too much rain dey among di tins wey dey behind di cost of onions but dem believes say di way pipo dey export di onions out of di kontri also contribute di high price onion.

Yunusa Halidu wey be National Secretary for di organization tok say dia findings how say too much rain and di demand way high dey among tins wey make di price go up like dis.

"Demand dey veri high becos anytin pipo wan cook dem must use onions"

E add say "too much rain wey fall for dis year wey spoil di onion seed dem plant for farm dey among di tins wey make di onion scarce and also make am dey expensive".

Oga Halidu say for Sokoto say dem don open one onion market, wia pipo dey buy and export am out of di kontri "Pipo dey export onions go oda kontris, and we believe say e dey among di reason why onion dey cost."

E also list high cost of fertilizer, labor and many odas as part of di tins wey dey determine price.

Aliyu for Sokto tok say Nigerians go begin see drop in di price of onions afta di festive season, "But I think say na from next year February 2025 di price go begin drop to normal becos by den farmers don begin dey harvest onions dem plant from dia farms"