Koko Maxwella 
SOKOTO, Nigeria – A devastating fire destroys 2,275 bags of onions in Kojiyo community, Goronyo LGA, leaving farmers with losses estimated at ₦56.8 million.
The blaze, which burns for nearly seven hours, engulfs about 65 storage huts, destroying livelihoods but causing no casualties.
National President, Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Aliyu Maitasamu, confirms the scale of the damage in a statement on Monday.
“At an estimated ₦25,000 per bag, total losses stand at ₦56.8 million,” he says.
Authorities say the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Farmers describe the incident as catastrophic.
“It is a huge loss. Everything I stored has been burnt,” says affected farmer Abdullahi Rima.
Another farmer, Nura Magaji, expresses fear over survival: “We have nothing left to feed our families.”
Community leader Muhammadu Sarkin Rima warns that many households have been pushed into hardship.
“Some families now have nothing to eat,” he says.
Despite the scale of destruction, Maitasamu says the loss may not significantly affect national onion prices.
Relief agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency and state authorities, are being urged to intervene.
Experts warn that poor storage infrastructure continues to expose farmers to avoidable losses across Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
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Otamere Gladness 
