Abuja: The National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN) has initiated a strategic partnership with the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) to enhance the exportation of onions and improve access to international markets. The collaboration aims to strengthen the onion value chain, which plays a crucial role in Nigeria’s food security, job creation, and export earnings.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Alhaji Aliyu Isah, President of NOPPMAN, emphasized the need for increased institutional partnerships during a courtesy visit to NAQS Comptroller-General, Dr. Vincent Isegbe. The association is committed to bolstering agricultural production, food security, and export development, with NAQS identified as a key player in ensuring Nigeria’s agricultural integrity and facilitating safe international trade.
Isah highlighted that collaboration with NAQS would enable farmers to fully exploit the potential of onion production domestically and internationally. He praised the agency’s role in ensuring phytosanitary compliance and promoting internationally accepted trade standards, which is vital as Nigeria intensifies efforts towards economic diversification and non-oil export growth.
During the visit, Isah noted the importance of onions as a versatile vegetable crop used in food preparation and processing into products like onion powder and flakes. The meeting aimed to address knowledge gaps among association members and improve compliance with export requirements. He also stressed the importance of involving stakeholders in policy formulation, warning that excluding farmers and producers could hinder effective implementation.
Isah advocated for improved inspection processes, covering all stages from land preparation to certification, to meet export standards. He also urged the deployment of plant health officers to onion-producing clusters nationwide to expedite inspection and certification processes.
In response, Dr. Isegbe recognized onions as a priority export certification commodity for Nigeria. He called for stronger collaboration between NAQS and NOPPMAN to enhance production standards, reduce post-harvest losses, and improve export quality. NAQS plans to work with stakeholders to enhance storage and transportation systems to minimize wastage.
‘We will engage the association, understand your clusters, and ensure proper registration of actors to help us ascertain seed quality and trace sources in cases of substandard inputs,’ Isegbe stated.