15/07/2021
MINT MONEY FROM ONIONS!
Onions (allium cepa) locally known as “obutungulu” in luganda are cool season biennial crops. This vegetable is typically grown as an annual. The dry bulb onions are harvested after the leaves have dried back and the bulbs fully matured.
Common Onion varieties of onions
The common Onion varieties grown in Uganda include; Jambar F1, Red passionF1, and Bombay red and Red pinoy- these have a lower yield but are in high demand at the market and they fetch a high price than the Jambar F1.
Soil requirements for growing Onions
Soil requirements; bulb onions do best in well drained, sandy loam soils with a pH range between 6.5 to 7.0 .
How to Propagate Onions in Africa
You can plant onions from seeds, sets or transplants. For commercial farming I would recommend that you use either transplants or sets to plant onions.
An onion set is a small dormant bulb that will produce a larger bulb once it’s planted.
Onion transplants are however started from seeds in abed before planting them in to the main garden.
How to Plant Onions
It’s preferable to plant your onions at the onset of the rains, though you can plant when you have means of irrigating your field.
Make rows 12 to 18 inches apart, and then place onion sets or transplants 4 to 6 inches apart in 1cm deep holes in the soils.
Gently cover the new transplants with soil.
Water thoroughly after planting, and regularly thereafter when it does not rain.
Watch out for pests like the onion fly, onion thrips, and onion neck rot dis-order.
How to Harvest Onions
Onions need around 4 months to mature. The last 3 weeks before harvesting the weather should be absolutely rain free.
Plan to start your nursery bed according to the dry season of your planting area. Count back 4 and ½ months back so that you can harvest at the end of December.
Proper treatment at harvest maximizes the amount of time you will be able to store your onions.
When the tops of the onions turn brown or yellow and fall over, it’s time to harvest; ideally the plant will have about 13 leaves at this point.
Pull the onions early in the morning on a sunny dry day, Shake off excess soil.
Cure the onions by putting them in to sun to dry for at least 2 days. Then transfer your onions to a shaded warm, dry, and well ventilated room to enable them to grow
Where to sell your Onions in Uganda
You can sell your onions right from your nearest fresh market including wholesale markets, restaurants, roadside stands and national markets like Owino, Nakasero, and USAFI.
Alternatively you can go ahead and add value to your onions by drying them to get an onion powder which you can sell at a better price as a spice.
Quick Tips for planting Onions
Quick Tips for planting Onions
Get ready for onion planting by setting up your field meant for planting the onions.
You start with setting up a fine bed needed for bringing up seedlings.
Alternatively you can directly sow your onions in to the main field.
Make 2cm furrows, broad cast in manure and finely mix it with the soil.
Place in your onion sets or transplants then gently cover with soil.
Water the onion plantlets to give them moisture needed for proper root establishment.
Make it a point to w**d your onions because they are not good at competing at a young age.
Late in the 3rd month you can now start to prepare for harvesting the crop.
Thoroughly dry and cure your onions as this helps enhance flavor.
SUCCESS STORIES
Justus Besisira, 58, a resident of Katooma II, has been growing onions for 34 years. He says, “I followed what others were doing. It’s a tradition here. It’s from onions that we get our survival. It’s where we get money to feed our families.”
From onions, the father of six gets money for school fees for all his children, including those in higher institutions of learning. He gets more than Shs20m every year with Shs8m being profit.
Onions are produced twice a year. The first season is from September to December while the second season runs from March to June. Farmers wait for three months for the onions to mature.
There is no much watering of gardens after planting as, in most cases, it is within the rainy seasons.
From an acre of onions, a farmer gets about 20 sacks and sells each at between Shs150,000 and Shs200,000.
There is a lot of labour involved in planting and maintenance of the gardens, which raises issues of children and youth neglecting other activities like going to schoool.
Benefits and challenges
Steven Sabiti Rubegyemera, Katooma parish chairperson, points out the authorities encourage them to pursue their education but acknowledges the downside of the thriving onion business.
“We have school dropouts because of onion farming. When these young people get money, they see no reason to continue schooling,” he says.
The other challenges include occasional food shortages as most of the land here is used to grow onions and less of other food crops.
Insecurity and petty crime also tends to rise when there is no onion-related activity.
But Rubegyemera affirms that onion growing is the major economic activity and many people have earned enough money to start other enterprises.
“There are people who own big houses, they drive good cars and have big businesses both here and in Kampala. Onions have made people prosper,” he says.
Gordon Barungira, a businessman dealing in onions across the country, recalls that he started growing onions at an early school-going age.
“I now have capital of over Shs 200m. I started from onion growing; I grew onions for 22 years. Now, I buy from those who have harvested and I sell to other dealers in Kampala. It is a profitable business. I have made my family happy, built a good house; I have five lorries [bought with proceeds from] onions,” he says.
