He, however, said the problem started in Nigeria last year when a disease known as purple blotch attacked farms, which affected the harvest and thereafter depleted onion reserve in the country.
“About N4 billion worth of farm investments were lost, mostly in Kebbi, Sokoto and Gombe states. We wrote to the appropriate authority about the issue, but nothing was done.
“There was also the issue of COVID-19 lockdown when movements were restricted in many states.
“Onion is a perishable produce, so a large number of the commodity got perished at both storage and market facilities at the time,’’ he said.