Stakeholders in Nigeria’s onion industry and their counterparts from across West Africa have signed a Memorandum of Agreement aimed at strengthening cross-border onion trade, improving market access and resolving disputes among traders.
The agreement was signed in Sokoto on Thursday under the auspices of the Regional Observatory of the Onion Sector in West and Central Africa.
The pact comes against the backdrop of recurring disagreements between onion traders and market authorities across West African borders, with traders often facing disputes over market access, movement of produce, trading arrangements and other cross-border commercial practices.
Such disputes have the potential to disrupt the movement of onions, affect farmers and traders, and contribute to price and supply uncertainties in destination markets.
Speaking at the event, the President of the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Aliyu Isa, said the agreement was designed to prevent recurring conflicts among onion traders and create a mutually acceptable framework for cross-border transactions.
