Onion traders at the Adjen Kotoku Market in Accra are counting massive losses after fifteen truckloads of produce valued at 3.1 million Ghana cedis (GHC) rotted due to transportation delays, poor infrastructure, and inadequate storage facilities.
The crisis unfolded over several weeks when multiple shipments of onions imported from Nigeria arrived late after enduring difficult journeys on damaged roads. By the time the trucks reached Ghana, significant portions had already begun decomposing due to heat, poor ventilation, and extended travel times. Heavy rains that followed worsened the situation, causing moisture to seep into the sacks and accelerating spoilage.
When the Daily Graphic visited the market on Monday, traders stood helplessly beside heaps of decomposing onions. The air was thick with a pungent stench that had engulfed the entire area. Many looked distressed as they tried unsuccessfully to salvage what remained.
Osman Mohammed Sidi, spokesperson for the Onion Traders Association, attributed the losses to the long distance Nigerian onions traveled and the poor quality of varieties imported this season. “The onions we import this season are mostly from Kano, not Sokoto. The Kano variety is generally less strong,” he explained.
Traders were forced to rely on supplies from Kano due to shortages from Niger, Sokoto, and Burkina Faso this year. The journey from Kano to Accra takes eight to ten days and can stretch to twelve days if a truck breaks down. “For onions, even a one day delay can be disastrous,” Sidi noted.
Local production has also suffered. According to Sidi, many Ghanaian farmers do not cultivate onion varieties suitable for long term storage. Because they expect immediate market demand, any delay leads to rapid spoilage, a problem made worse this year by early rains.
Some farmers and traders have lost their entire investment, with a few considering selling personal property to recover. “We’re appealing to the government to come to our aid,” Sidi said, calling for training in onion cultivation and access to proper storage facilities.
The spokesperson lamented that relocating the onion market from Agbogbloshie to Adjen Kotoku has compounded their challenges. “The poor road network leading to this new site has discouraged buyers. At Agbogbloshie, even damaged onions had buyers who used them for processing. But here, buyers hardly come,” he said.
Shaibu Ibrahim, an affected trader, recounted losing an entire truckload of 420 bags of onions imported from Kano. “We expected to sell each bag for between GHC 1,000 and GHC 1,300. But we couldn’t even make enough to pay the transport fees,” he said.
Some traders had to beg drivers for extra time to settle their transport debts because they made no returns at all. Ibrahim revealed that some local onions also spoilt before reaching the market because excessive fertiliser use made the bulbs larger but less durable.
He called for a shift from quantity focused production to quality driven cultivation, arguing that onions imported from Egypt, Morocco, and China can travel long distances and remain fresh for months due to better quality and storage methods.
Ibrahim emphasised the lack of insurance support for the onion trade. “The risk in this business is very high, so insurance companies are reluctant to cover us. A truck can break down, or rain can destroy the onions before they arrive. Once water gets into the load, it starts to rot,” he said.
Farmers and traders are now appealing for proper storage facilities, training in high quality onion cultivation, improved road networks to the Adjen Kotoku Market, and access to insurance and financial protection.
The losses highlight broader challenges in Ghana’s agricultural supply chain, where inadequate infrastructure and limited post harvest management continue to undermine food security and trader livelihoods. Without intervention, industry stakeholders warn that similar losses could recur in future growing seasons.
