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Fifteen truckloads of onions valued at GH¢3.1 million have gone to waste at the Adjen Kotoku Onion Market in Accra, following weeks of transportation delays, poor roads, and a lack of proper storage facilities.
The crisis began several weeks ago when multiple truckloads of onions imported from Nigeria arrived late after enduring long, difficult journeys on bad roads. By the time the trucks reached Ghana, a large portion of the produce had already begun to rot due to heat, poor ventilation, and prolonged travel times.
Heavy rains that followed further worsened the situation, causing moisture to seep into the sacks and accelerating the spoilage.
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When the Daily Graphic visited the market on Monday, traders were seen standing helplessly beside heaps of decomposing onions, the air thick with a pungent stench that had engulfed the entire area. Many looked distressed as they tried, unsuccessfully, to salvage what they could.
The spokesperson for the Onion Traders Association, Osman Mohammed Sidi, said the massive losses were largely due to the long distance the Nigerian onions travelled and the poor quality of the variety imported this season.
“The onions we import this season are mostly from Kano, not Sokoto. The Kano variety is generally less strong,” he explained.
He added that traders were forced to rely on onions from Kano due to shortages from Niger, Sokoto, and Burkina Faso this year. The journey from Kano to Accra takes eight to ten days and could stretch to twelve days if a truck breaks down.
“For onions, even a one-day delay can be disastrous,” he noted.
Local onions were also affected. According to Mr Sidi, many Ghanaian farmers do not cultivate onions suitable for long-term storage. Because they expect immediate market demand, any delay leads to rapid spoilage—made worse this year by the early rains.
Some farmers and traders, he revealed, had lost their entire investment, with a few considering selling personal property to recover.
“We’re appealing to the government to come to our aid,” he said, calling for training in onion cultivation and access to proper storage facilities.
Mr Sidi also lamented that the relocation of the onion market from Agbogbloshie to Adjen Kotoku has compounded their challenges.
“The poor road network leading to this new site has discouraged buyers. At Agbogbloshie, even damaged onions had buyers who used them for processing. But here, buyers hardly come,” he said.
One affected trader, Shaibu Ibrahim, recounted losing an entire truckload of 420 bags of onions imported from Kano.
“We expected to sell each bag for between GH¢1,000 and GH¢1,300. But we couldn’t even make enough to pay the transport fees,” he said.
Some traders, he revealed, had to beg drivers for extra time to settle their transport debts because they made no returns at all.
He added that some local onions also spoilt before reaching the market because excessive fertiliser use made the bulbs larger but less durable.
Mr Ibrahim called for a shift from quantity-focused production to quality-driven cultivation, arguing that onions imported from Egypt, Morocco, and China can travel long distances and remain fresh for months due to better quality and storage methods.
He emphasised the lack of insurance support for the onion trade.
“The risk in this business is very high, so insurance companies are reluctant to cover us. A truck can break down, or rain can destroy the onions before they arrive. Once water gets into the load, it starts to rot,” he said.
Both farmers and traders are appealing for:
- Proper storage facilities for onions
- Training in high-quality onion cultivation
- Improved road networks to the Adjen Kotoku Market
- Access to insurance and financial protection
For now, many at the market are left counting their losses, hoping for intervention to prevent a repeat of this year’s devastation.
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