RMRDC, BOI Plan Onion Processing Facility To Reduce Post-Harvest Losses

The Raw Materials Re­search and Development Council (RMRDC) says it will partner with the Bank of Industry (BoI) to set up an onion processing facil­ity to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance val­ue-addition in the value chain of the produce. Nnayelugo Ike-Muonso, Director-General of RM­RDC , recently led a team on a courtesy visit to Ola­supo Olusi, chief executive officer of BoI, in Lagos. Ike-Muonso said the vis­it was to explore collabora­tive opportunities focused on onion processing and export.

He said the partnership emphasises the need to es­tablish a facility aimed at processing surplus fresh onions into high-value flakes and powder, primar­ily for the domestic and export markets. “The establishment of an onion processing facil­ity seeks to leverage the abundance of onion cul­tivated in Nigeria which most times suffers from over 50 percent post-har­vest losses,” the Direc­tor-General said. “This is due to inade­quate preservation, lack of processing infrastructure and inefficient market ac­cess “The proposed onion processing facility is ex­pected to not only minimise waste, but also create jobs, support industrial growth and national objectives for agricultural industrialisa­tion.



” Ike-Muonso said the fa­cility would ensure food se­curity and position Nigeria as a key player in the global onion value chain. On his part, Olusi ex­pressed optimism and a strong willingness to part­ner with RMRDC, empha­sising the need for a critical evaluation of all necessary variables and factors for success before full imple­mentation. The CEO said both or­ganisations will conduct thorough research and feasibility studies to en­sure the project achieves its objectives of reducing post-harvest losses.

He noted that the proj­ect will also extend onion shelf life, raise farmers’ in­comes, and tap into global export markets for onions grown in the country. On March 29, the Uni­versity of Benin partnered with the research and de­velopment council to en­hance the commercialisa­tion of raw materials and industrial inputs for man­ufacturing..