The Resilience of Organisations for Transformative Smallholder Agriculture Project (ROOTS) today convened a Policy Dialogue Forum on the National Convergence on Marketing of Locally Produced Onions at Tamala Hotel.
The event brought together key stakeholders from the agriculture and trade sectors to discuss strategies for strengthening market linkages and supporting smallholder farmers in selling their locally produced onions.
The opening ceremony was graced by DPS Saihou Sanyang, representing the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture; and DPS Jerreh Sanyang, representing the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, as well as the ROOTS Project Director.
In his welcome remarks, the Project Director highlighted ROOTS’ continued support to smallholder farmers through various interventions — including the establishment of Agribusiness and Value Chain Integration Platforms (AVIPs) — to enhance the marketing of local produce, especially onions.
DPS Jerreh Sanyang (Trade) underscored the importance of collaboration among all actors within the onion value chain. He also acknowledged the ongoing partnership between the Ministry and ROOTS, particularly the onion import moratorium, which aims to give smallholder farmers a fair opportunity to sell their produce.
DPS Saihou Sanyang (Agriculture) reiterated the government’s recognition of ROOTS’ contributions in supporting smallholder vegetable producers. He noted that while production support has been strong, market linkages remain a challenge. He called for stronger collaboration, strategic partnerships, and coordinated efforts to improve the marketing of locally produced onions.
He emphasized the need for a clear roadmap and policy recommendations to better prepare for the 2025/2026 production season, highlighting actions such as:
Coordinating harvest calendars
Strengthening and expanding AVIP outreach
Promoting value addition and fair profit-sharing
Encouraging contract-based production
Enhancing market information access
Exploring institutional procurement opportunities
So far, ROOTS has supported the marketing of 23% of locally produced onions, reflecting its ongoing commitment to empowering smallholder farmers and building a sustainable, inclusive agricultural market system.