Farmers in Kotoso in the Eastern Region are calling on the government for urgent support as they struggle with massive post-harvest losses in onion production.
Spokesperson of the Kotoso Farmers Association, Ibrahim Abdullah, popularly known as Baba, speaking on the Happy Morning Show, explained that the oversupply in onion production is worsening the situation. “In the case of onion workers, there are different people who bring onions, and when every single one brings them, the market becomes choked. When that happens, it becomes difficult because for us here, we don’t have the facility to store the harvest,” he said.
According to him, farmers are often forced to rush their produce to the market regardless of prevailing prices. “The moment you harvest, whether it’s expensive or cheap, you have to send it to the market,” he stressed.
The losses, he said, are staggering. “I have 50 workers on a 50-acre farm, and each person manages an acre that produces 50 to 70 bags of onions. On average, Kotoso has about 2,000 acres of onion farms. Yet, without proper storage, a lot of this goes to waste.”
Mr. Abdullah, revealed that many farmers have taken loans from banks to finance their farms, often using their houses as collateral. “If we don’t pay back, the banks will come for our houses. So, we beg the government to do something about this,” he appealed.
Currently, harvested onions can only last about two months without proper storage, leaving farmers vulnerable to huge financial setbacks.
Agriculture experts have long highlighted post-harvest losses as one of Ghana’s biggest agricultural challenges. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, Ghana loses up to 30–50% of its food production annually due to poor storage and market access. For perishable crops like onions, this problem is even more severe, threatening the livelihoods of farmers across major producing areas like Kotoso.
