NOPPMAN Halts Onion Exports, Demands Regional Trade Agreement

Nigeria's National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association has halted shipments and intensified calls for international engagement after sustained disruptions at Ghana's Kotoku Market. The group documented N1.2 billion in damages stemming from barriers affecting both Nigerian and Nigerien onion shipments, during which temperature-sensitive inventory deteriorated over lengthy processing intervals.

During remarks at a Sokoto gathering, NOPPMAN's top official unveiled the export halt and insisted that Nigeria's administration and the Economic Community of West African States establish a binding accord involving every nation purchasing onions throughout the region. The organization framed such an understanding as a durable mechanism rather than addressing only the immediate Ghanaian situation, contending that standardized regulations would avert comparable commercial problems moving forward.

NOPPMAN recognized prior diplomatic work undertaken by both the Nigerian side and Ghana to tackle the restriction but noted such initiatives had ultimately failed to remedy the core problem. The body urged ECOWAS intervention directly in resolving the dispute, highlighting how onion transit limitations jeopardized broader regional nutritional stability.

The export moratorium represents a step forward from earlier requests for state help. NOPPMAN underscored that an enforceable continental settlement must define explicit procedures governing commerce across borders and shield sellers, shippers, and handlers from preventable financial damage resulting from unilateral market closures.