Inflation Slows, But Food Bills Keep Rising Across Nigeria
Nigeria’s inflation rate may be showing signs of slowing down, but the cost of food continues to put pressure on households, leaving many consumers questioning when the decline in inflation will translate into cheaper meals.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said headline inflation fell from 15.91 per cent in June to 15.43 per cent in July 2026.
Month-on-month headline inflation also declined from 1.66 per cent in June to 1.57 per cent in July, indicating that the general rate at which prices increased was slower than the previous month.
Food prices, however, moved in the opposite direction.
According to the NBS Consumer Price Index report for July, food inflation rose to 5.56 per cent month-on-month, compared with 3.75 per cent in June.
Although food inflation stood at 20.31 per cent year-on-year, lower than the 26.20 per cent recorded in July 2025, the monthly increase means consumers continued to face fresh price increases at the markets.
The statistics showed that the prices of several basic food items increased during the month. They included rice, onions, tomatoes, fresh pepper, carrots, garri, plantain, beef, eggs, flour, ginger, crayfish and water yam.
Adamawa recorded the highest month-on-month food inflation at 17.02 per cent, followed by Lagos at 13.48 per cent and Borno at 13.26 per cent.
Jigawa, Kebbi and Bauchi were among the states that recorded declines, with food inflation falling by 3.68 per cent, 3.67 per cent and 1.85 per cent respectively.
But across several markets, consumers say the figures do not necessarily reflect the pressure they are facing.
In Lagos, David Atoni expressed concern that food prices remained high despite the ongoing harvest season.
“If prices of foods are this high during harvesting season, then Nigeria is heading into harsher economic reality,” he said.
Funmi Alaba, a resident of Ojodu-Berger, said she recently went to the market to purchase groceries but could not buy as much as she had intended because of the prices.
In Maiduguri, Muhammad Abubakar, a resident of Bulunkutu, said consumers were confronted with inconsistent price movements.
“Some prices have dropped slightly, but others have stubbornly risen. For instance, a bag of foreign rice, which was previously sold for N60,000, is now going for N67,000,” he said.
Aisha Tanimu, who lives around Damboa Road, said local rice had risen from N120,000 to N130,000.
She noted, however, that the prices of beans and maize had dropped significantly.
For Amina Yusuf, the increase in cooking oil has added another burden to household spending.
“A bottle of Thailand vegetable oil has jumped from N1,700 to N2,000, making it very difficult for average consumers to afford,” she said.
Malam Shehu Lawan said the situation was particularly difficult for consumers who depended on fresh vegetables.
“It is not easy. We aren’t getting friendly prices these days. Buying vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and pepper has become a major problem for households in Maiduguri,” he said.
Lawan said some households had stopped buying fresh tomatoes, onions and pepper regularly and were turning to cheaper alternatives.
He added that transportation costs were making the situation worse.
“People are struggling just to feed themselves, but half of their daily earnings are now being swallowed by transportation costs,” he said.
In Adamawa, Abubakar Usman, popularly known as Abu Fari, said the increase in food prices had become difficult to cope with.
He said a measure of rice that used to sell for around N1,600 was now being sold for approximately N2,100.
He called on the government to introduce measures that would provide immediate relief to families whose earnings had not kept pace with the cost of food.
Hajiya Mairo Suleiman, a resident of Jimeta, Yola, said single mothers were among those bearing the greatest burden.
She said she had attempted to reduce expenses by buying directly from farmers, but rising production costs had limited the benefits.
According to Suleiman, farmers were paying more for equipment, insecticides and other inputs, costs that eventually found their way into the prices paid by consumers.
She said a measure of beans that once sold for between N800 and N1,200 now costs about N2,000 or more, depending on the market.
Maize and millet, she added, had also become more expensive.
In Ilorin, Yahaya Obadare said households were increasingly affected by small but frequent price increases.
He recalled that his wife recently discovered that an item she wanted to purchase had increased by N150.
Obadare said such differences could appear insignificant when looking at one item but become substantial when added to the cost of several food products.
“Sometimes, the increase is between N50 and N100, depending on the item, but at the end of the day, you discover that it has taken a toll on your finances,” he said.
Insecurity Keeps Food Costs High
Economist Dr Marcel Okeke said insecurity remains one of the biggest obstacles to lower food prices.
According to him, farmers cannot produce enough when they are unable to safely access their farms.
He said insecurity had displaced farmers in several parts of the country, while poor roads and insecurity had also increased the cost of transporting agricultural produce from rural communities to major markets.
“When you talk to farmers, the level of insecurity in every part of this country has displaced them and if they farm, what about movement of the products when the roads are bad? So, those are the serious constraints,” Okeke said.
He also said some of the government’s agricultural interventions would take time before their full effects became visible.
Programmes involving mechanisation, tractors and farmer training, he noted, could improve production in the long term but would not automatically lead to lower food prices.
Okeke also questioned whether the official inflation figures accurately represented the experience of consumers.
“There is no other way of measuring inflation than going to the market to buy things,” he said.
He argued that the prices consumers encounter in markets should be a major consideration in assessing whether inflation is actually easing.
Government Pushes Agricultural Interventions
The Federal Government has continued to introduce measures aimed at increasing domestic food production and reducing costs across the agricultural sector.
The interventions include reductions in import tariffs on selected agricultural commodities and inputs, support for farmers, provision of farm inputs, mechanisation initiatives and assistance to agro-processors.
Government policy has also encouraged businesses to invest in backward integration, with the aim of connecting farmers more directly to processors and manufacturers.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the government was working to address market distortions while strengthening domestic production.
Kyari, represented at a Ministerial Policy Dialogue during Nigeria Public Relations Week by the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund, Mohammed Ibrahim, said the government was supporting farmers and agro-processors through various input programmes.
“We have focused on farm input support programmes and agro-processing. We are providing subsidised inputs to processors with backward integration models. Strengthening both the farm and the factory is critical to ensuring agricultural policies succeed,” he said.
Kyari acknowledged that farmers were still dealing with high production costs.
“Food prices are beginning to abate, although challenges remain, particularly around the high cost of inputs. Farmers are still feeling the pressure,” he said.
While the government points to falling headline inflation as evidence of progress, consumers continue to measure economic recovery differently: by how much food they can take home with the money they earn.
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