Unlocking the potential of onion farming

* Small-scale farmers account for over 80% of the country’s onion production

* Which generates approximately K12 billion in revenue annually from both domestic sales and exports

* To neighbouring countries like Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique

By Hastings Yobe, MANA

Smallholder farmers are the backbone of the country’s agriculture sector and onion farming has emerged as a lucrative opportunity for them to boost their income and improve their livelihoods.

Despite the challenges they face, these farmers have shown remarkable resilience and adaptability, and their success stories are worth sharing.

According to Ministry of Agriculture, small-scale farmers account for over 80% of the country’s onion production, which generates approximately K12 billion in revenue annually.

This revenue comes from both domestic sales and exports to neighbouring countries like Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique and according to research which was done in 2020, Malawi exported over 10,000 metric tonnes of onions to Zambia alone, earning around K1.2 billion (US$1.6 million) in foreign exchange.

Onion farming offers several benefits to smallholder farmers in the country — firstly, it is a low-cost venture that requires minimal inputs, making it an attractive option for farmers with limited resources.

Secondly, Onions are easy to cultivate and require less labour and water compared to other vegetables like tomatoes, and thirdly, the crop is less susceptible to pests and diseases, reducing the need for pesticides and other chemicals — and can be stored for longer periods, allowing farmers to sell them when prices are favourable.

A farmer from Lunzu, Blessings Mlelemba (26) is one of the many success stories in onion farming and he expects to earn at least K4 million from his harvest this year, which he attributes to the simplicity and profitability of onion farming.

“This year, I am expecting to get K4 million after selling my onions which I harvested on my half acre land,” Mlelemba said. “I think people should now know that farming, especially crops like onions is really beneficial and can be a real life-changer for small holder farmers.

“For example, on a half an acre land you can produce 96,000 onion bulbs and if you are selling 16 onion bulbs at K1,000, that means you will get K6 million at the end.

“Onion farming is really simple, it takes three weeks to be on nursery and only three months on the main garden. The total production is less than K580,000 which produces the K6 million we are talking about,” he said.

A farmer from Zomba, Gavily Maluwa, 30, is another beneficiary of onion farming and uses his skills gained from the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) to maximize his profits, earning up to K900,000 from his sales.

He said on his one-acre land, a quarter acre produces at least K400,000 or K500,000 depending on how good the market was that year.

“Sometimes, I may even produce onions worth K900,000 but it depends on who is buying. For example, if you are selling in hotels or restaurants that is when you get higher prices.

“Besides that, onion takes longer to rot and can be kept for a longer period of time after harvesting unlike other crops. It is less costly to grow as compared to the profits one can get after selling it.

“For example, it does not require one to use much pesticides or fertilizers but with just good supervision a farmer can get bumper yields.”

Maluwa said youths must learn about onion farming and engage themselves in this enterprise since it is very profitable because it does not require a lot like fertilizer application and is not usually affected by pests.

Although the profits are many with onion farming, he asked government to assist potential farmers to access cheap onion seeds: “Onion seeds are mostly expensive than other seeds on the market and government should assist in training farmers through consultants on how best the farmers can grow their onion for better produce.”

He believes that if government puts more effort in onion farming by also assisting farmers to find markets to export their produce and get better results, it can help to deal with forex scarcity in the country.

An expert in horticultural crop production at LUANAR Bunda Campus, Dr. Vincent Mwale agrees that onion farming was advantageous due to its ease of cultivation, low labour and input requirements, and resistance to pests and diseases.

He recommends the Texas Grano and Red Creole varieties, which are well adapted to Malawi’s environmental conditions and have a wide market acceptability.

“Onions are advantageous as they are very easy to cultivate and less labour and input intensive than other vegetables like tomatoes, for example,” he said. “They require less amounts of fertilizers, less water, less labour and are more or less more hardly to get attacks from pests and diseases when grown under optimum conditions.”

He said farmers need to think of the environment they want to grow in, emphasising that “onions prefer a cold or low temperature environment and does better in the cool months (April to July), but higher temperatures are required when they begin to form bulbs”.

Being a bulb crop, Mwale said “onion requires sandy soils with high organic matter which can be achieved by incorporating manure as very heavy clay soils reduce bulb formation process”.

“Farmers have to produce high quality seedlings as they determine success rate and they have to choose suitable soil — sandy loam soil as opposed to heavy clay soils — with adequate water facilities if under irrigation.”

According to the Malawi Chitukuko article by Willem, onions can be grown from seed, but it’s much easier and quicker to grow them from sets (small onions) and most are heat-treated — meaning they are less likely to bolt (produce flowers), which stops the onions bulking up.

Onion farming offers a promising opportunity for smallholder farmers in the country to improve their livelihoods and contribute to the country’s economy.

With its low-cost requirements, ease of cultivation, and resistance to pests and diseases, onion farming is an attractive option for farmers and by adopting good agricultural practices and selecting suitable varieties, farmers can optimize their produce and improve their overall farming experience.

As the demand for onions continues to grow, both locally and internationally, the future of this horticultural crop farming in the country looks bright.