By George M. O. Williams
The prices of onions in the local market have quadrupled due to shortage in supply.
While Nle10 would get you a palmful of onions in the past, it is different now. An onion is being sold at Nle20 and Nle25 in the market. The smallest is being sold at Nle5.
Magret Koroma, a trader, said few month back, the cost of a bag of onions was Nle250, adding that early in July they bough a bag of onions at Nle620. “Now is now sold at Nle1500,” she said.
Sierra Leone spends over US$15 million annually on the importation of onions.
So, what’s behind the hike in onion prices
Amadu Bangura, an onion farmer, attributed the hike in prices of onions to poor harvest at Lungi in the Port Loko district due to poor soil quality.
Recently, Sierra Leone’s neighbour Guinea suspended exports of more than a dozen agricultural products, including onions, for six months to preserve stocks. This, according to an importer, Mohamed Bah, has resulted in the scarcity of onions. He said that they usually import onions from Guinea to increase supply and stabilise prices. “This is no longer happening because of the suspension of export of agricultural produce from Guinea,” Bah said.
He also attributed the problem to the low supply of onions in the international market. This has resulted in the delay in the importation of onions. With rising prices of fertilizers and unpredictable weather patterns affecting onion production in major producing countries like India, China, and the Netherlands, the global onion market has been experiencing a supply shortage.
Bah said that they are expecting some consignments in August to ease the problem.