Sierra Leone Can Reduce Onion Importation to the Bare Minimum in the Next Two Years

The ban of onion export from India has triggered yet another global spike in the price of the commodity. Price of one metric ton of fresh onions has climbed as high as $2,170 (from about $650 in February). The ban and global price increases have contributed to shortages and increases in prices domestically. In the last 36 months, Sierra Leone imported about $34 million worth of onions. Global onion shortages and price hikes have sparked widespread social media memes, and more seriously another pinch point in the cost of the food basket.

I marked the end of my first full week as Minister of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) by travelling to Port Loko District, the onion belt of Sierra Leone, and I came away firmly believing that we can reduce the importation of onions to the minimum in two and half years (five planting cycles) and bring a lot of benefit to our farmers and consumers.

The onion belt in Port Loko has over 1,200 ha of lowland suitable for onion cultivation. The production system is largely smallholder-based. Although farmers there face various constraints, they have the know-how to cultivate, and the economic incentives associated with the value chains is clear to them. 

But it was my stop at the Pee Cee and Sons Ltd (PCS) mechanised onion production site in Mathen village, Lokomasama Chiefdom that provided the clearest indication that Sierra Leone can grow enough onions to reduce our dependence on imports. Last year PCS piloted 5.6 ha of mechanised production. They obtained 10 MT/ha which is well below the potential. With corrections in soil PH they hope to obtain up to 30 MT/ha. PCS has put plans in place to cultivate 75 ha for the October-December cycle and again in the February-May 2024 cycle. If PCS are successful with their production plans, they will add close to 4,500 MT of onions in the market in the two cycles. To put this into perspective, our official trade suggests we imported just under 1,000 MT of onions in 2022.

Aside from their own production efforts, PCS also supported 900 smallholder farmers last year, by providing inputs, ploughing their lands mechanically, and training them with good agronomic practices for onion production. Even more promising is that in the next three years, PCS plans to put close to 640 ha under onion cultivation. As Minister of Agriculture, these are eye-popping numbers, and clearly point to a path where Sierra Leone can become a net-exporter of onions.  

The hallmark of President Bio’s Feed Salone Programme is the deliberate inclusion of the private sector to drive transformation in the sector. So, as government we will support private sector actors like PCS to succeed because when they do, we all succeed.