USAID/Guinea: Successful Marketing Helps Onion Farmers Raise Revenue

FEBRUARY 3, 2003

Successful Marketing Helps Onion Farmers Raise Revenue

Good onion varieties and accurate market information made all the difference!

woman in an agricultural co-op picking onions

Woman in an agricultural co-op picks onions

Saikou Baldé from the enclave of Kouratongo, Tougue, had a great harvest in 2002-he sold 1,350 kg of red onions and 900 kg of yellow onions, for which he received $425 in revenue. The red onion variety Violet de Galmy, obtained by the USAID-sponsored Agricultural Commercialization Agency (ACA) through seed producers in Senegal, made a world of difference-the seed's higher yields and a longer storage period allowed Mr. Baldé to store his onions for a longer period of time, allowing him to market his produce throughout the better part of the year. It also allowed him to stay in his village all year instead of leaving his family during the dry season to work abroad in the mines of Liberia and Mali, as he has routinely done in the past.

Better market information through a USAID-sponsored weekly rural radio program has also helped producers decide when and where to sell their produce. Lamarana Kanté, a single mother with nine children who depends on onion sales to meet many of her family's needs says, "The availability of market information through radio broadcasts and published bulletins has helped our women's coop decide whether to negotiate with onion collectors coming from Labe or elsewhere." In 2002, the 2,700 producers -- 2,000 of whom are women -- in this remote USAID project zone in Guinea have successfully sold 177 tons of onions either through regional collectors or on the local markets for a total revenue of $43,595. The increased revenue for small-scale farmers has not only made onions the most important cash crop in the region--it has also allowed producers in the area like Mr. Baldé to stay with their families instead of working under difficult conditions abroad.

Story by Susan van Keulen-Cantella