By: Alieu Ceesay
After the construction of three onion curing and storage facilities in the West Coast and Central River regions, the EU-funded United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) West Africa Competitiveness Programme – The Gambia (WACOMP-GM) has started building two more facilities in Kiang Nema, located in the Lower River Region, and Pakau Ngoju in the North Bank Region.
During a visit to the garden in Kiang Nema, the project’s Steering Committee observed the women beneficiaries expressing their delight over the commencement of construction. They stated that the long-awaited facility would alleviate their concerns about onion post-harvest losses.
As the committee arrives at the garden, a group of enthusiastic women gardeners is gathered, smiling excitedly as they prepare nursery beds for the upcoming onion planting season.
Among them was Ntai Jarju, the garden’s president, who expressed her joy over the ongoing construction of the region’s first standard onion curing and storage facility.
“You can see how happy we are about this development,” she said, with a face beaming in excitement. “It signifies how eager we are for this storage facility to be built quickly. We need it as soon as possible. We’re just entering another gardening season, and the storage would greatly help us.”
For decades, Ntai and fellow gardeners in the region have been greeted with a sad ending after harvest. Each year, a large amount of the onions goes to waste. This situation forces them to sell their harvested onions at lower prices for fear of losing them if they do not make sales immediately.
There is still hope for her and her community. The EU-funded United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) West Africa Competitiveness Programme – The Gambia (WACOMP-GM) has initiated plans to enhance the quality compliance of local gardens and reduce post-harvest losses. This will be achieved by constructing onion curing and storage facilities.
So far, three facilities have been built in Bereft (West Coast Region), Nanaba, and Jahuar Mandinka (Central River Region). Currently, preparations are underway to construct two additional facilities in Kiang Nema (Lower River Region) and Pakau Ngoju (North Bank Region).
For women like Fatou Korta, another gardener in Nema, the facility represents more than just storage—it is a lifeline.
“With the storage facility, we can preserve our onions without them perishing,” she said. “This would have a great impact on my life and livelihood. It will help me and the entire community, as many of our women are gardeners. It would greatly boost our vegetable production, and we can grow more onions without spoiling them.”
“When we cultivate our onions, we don’t usually get good market prices, especially during the season,” explained Woe Jarju. “We sell at a poor price because we can’t store them—they rot. This storage facility will save us from a lot of losses.”
UNIDO WACOMP-GM’s intervention is already transforming lives in other communities. Women gardeners are reaping the benefits in Foni Berefet, where one onion curing and storage facility is operational.
Majula Sanyang is one of 267 gardeners from Berefet who now has access to a new storage facility, which has positively impacted her family’s finances. She shared her experience: “Recently, my child came home from school asking for money to buy something. I simply walked to the store, took out my onions, weighed them, and sold them. I saved these onions that could have spoiled, but thanks to this storage facility, I could keep them in good condition.” She thanked UNIDO and the EU for their support in this initiative.
Beyond the storage facility, UNIDO WACOMP-GM has trained women gardeners across the country on the best post-harvest agronomic management practices for onions, equipping them with knowledge and skills to maximize their economic gains. This is in addition to equipment, including weighting scales, coding machines, and onion bags, provided to 120 gardens and benefiting thousands of women nationwide.
As the storage facilities in Kiang Nema and Pakau Ngoju are being built, women gardeners are feeling hopeful about a future with fewer losses, improved incomes, and better livelihoods. The new storage facilities for these communities represent more than just physical structures; they symbolize a promising future filled with opportunity.
Malamin Drammeh, National Horticulture Value Chain Expert at UNIDO WACOMP-GM, stated that beneficiaries of the onion storage facilities were selected based on their production volume, organizational skills, and commitment to the project.
He expressed delight over the incredible results of the onion curing and storage facilities, which directly improved the lives of 728 women from Berefet, Nanaba, and Jahaur Mandinka facilities.
“The pilot storage facilities are the first of its kind in the country, and we hope that other projects and organizations will emulate and build in other communities. He noted that they are designed to cure and store onions, considering national and international standards like the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP),” he noted.
Drammeh said the storage facilities’ sustainability plans are in place. The project trained gardens on how to manage the facilities effectively and also supported them in developing strategic business plans.
He commended the European Union for the financial assistance and urged beneficiaries to use the facilities judiciously.
In August 2021, UNIDO WACOMP-GM conducted a Rapid Market Analysis (RMA) on onion and allied crops in The Gambia. The report revealed that local unions’ quality and safety are below international standards due to premature harvesting, the absence of post-harvest curing and drying, the absence of sorting, grading, weighing, packaging, and labeling, and inadequate basic tools and materials.
In May 2023, the project provided equipment to 120 gardens in the country. The equipment comprises 120 bench weighing scales, 120 portable stitching machines, 120 portable onion moisture meters, 120,000 onion leno mesh bags, and 200 standard plastic pallets.
These materials supplied, including the onion curing and storage facilities, have addressed some pressing challenges and contributed to the improvement of local onions’ ability to meet the expectations of both local and international markets.
