Amidst the coup in Niger that has disrupted the supply chain, onion vendors in Ghana have issued a warning about potential price hikes for the commodity.

Truckloads of onions found themselves detained at Ghana's northern border due to the ongoing military takeover in Niger, which has prompted ECOWAS sanctions on the nation.

The drivers responsible for transporting these onions encountered days of being marooned at the border due to the enforced closure of both land and air boundaries connecting ECOWAS countries and Niger.

Speaking on the matter, Sani Abubakar, the head of the Accra Onion Importer Association, stressed that the cost of onions is likely to experience an upward surge, possibly leading to a scarcity.

During an interview with TV3's Enyonam Haliga, he elaborated further on this potential predicament.

“For now, we are at a loss, we have a lot of trucks stuck at the border. Some are at the Mali border, Burkina Faso, and Benin so we are appealing to the government to intervene. If care is not taken we are going to sell one bag of onion at 3000 cedis.”

At present, a bag of onions is being sold within the price range of ¢1300 to ¢25,000, marking a significant increase from the previous price of ¢1000 cedis.

In response to this scenario, Dr. Charles Nyaaba, the Executive Director of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, highlighted that the ongoing political instability in Niger is poised to have a pronounced impact on the supply of onions and various other commodities to Ghana.

Dr. Nyaaba further emphasized that this situation in Niger will inevitably affect the availability of livestock in Ghana.

During an appearance on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 on Tuesday, August 8, he stated, "In recent times, we source a substantial portion of our food commodities from neighboring countries. This encompasses various types of vegetables such as tomatoes, pepper, and onions, which come from Burkina Faso and sometimes Togo. The supply of onions is specifically reliant on Niger. Similarly, when considering livestock like cattle, goats, and sheep, our sources are also concentrated in these same regions."

“So obviously this is going to have a serious impact on the supply of those commodities in our market.”

Mr. Nyaaba further mentioned that although Ghanaian farmers are manufacturing these goods, the domestic output is insufficient to meet market demand, which is why bordering nations are needed.

He said “In Ghana, it is not the case that we don’t have the potential to produce the same. When you take onions, which we are getting 100 percent from Niger, we also get seeds from Niger.

“…When there is no water, you can’t produce onions. So if you look at the farmers who produce onions, most of them are from the White Volta basin around Bawku, Zebilla, Bolgatanga, they produce the bulk of the onions, but is still highly insignificant to meet our consumption.”