Cost of local rice rises by 20% in one month — NBS
NBS says 50kg local rice rose by over 20 percent in one month as prices of beans, eggs, garri and onions also increased.
The cost of staple food items across Nigeria continued to climb in March 2026, with the price of a 50kg bag of local rice recording one of the sharpest increases within the period, according to new data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
In its latest Selected Food Price Watch report, the NBS said the average price of a 50kg bag of local rice rose by 20.5 percent month-on-month to ₦112,000 in March 2026 from ₦92,946 recorded in February.
Imported rice also became more expensive during the period, with the average price of a 50kg bag of foreign rice increasing by 3.06 percent to ₦133,975 from ₦110,589 in February.
The latest figures reflect the continued pressure on household food spending despite recent efforts to stabilise food supply and inflation across the country.
Although the NBS figures showed prices crossing the ₦100,000 mark, market checks in some parts of the country revealed that several local rice brands still sold within the ₦60,000 range depending on quality, location and distribution costs.
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Still, traders and consumers say prices remain unstable, with transportation costs, exchange rate pressure, insecurity affecting farming communities and supply chain challenges continuing to influence food prices nationwide.
Beyond rice, the report showed that prices of several everyday food items also increased in March.
The average price of a crate of eggs rose by two percent compared to February, while the average price of brown beans climbed to ₦1,325.85 per kilogram from ₦1,307.44 recorded the previous month.
Garri, another major staple consumed widely across Nigeria, also recorded an increase. According to the NBS, the average price of white garri sold loose rose by 1.38 percent to ₦801.54 per kilogram.
Onion prices also moved upward, with the average cost of one kilogram increasing by 1.59 percent to ₦1,153.14, while fresh ginger rose slightly to ₦5,541.25 per kilogram.
The data further highlighted sharp differences in food prices across states. Taraba State recorded the highest average price for a crate of eggs at ₦6,999, while Niger State posted the lowest at ₦5,610.04.
For brown beans, Oyo State recorded the highest average price at ₦1,937.20 per kilogram, while Taraba had the lowest at ₦745.
Abia State recorded the highest average price for white garri at ₦1,075.45 per kilogram, while Plateau State had the lowest at ₦513.78.
The widest gap appeared in onion prices, with Abia recording the highest average price at ₦2,115.67 per kilogram, more than double the ₦829.90 recorded in Kwara State, which had the lowest average price nationally.
Food inflation has remained one of the biggest economic pressures facing Nigerian households over the past year, with rising transportation costs, climate-related disruptions, insecurity in food-producing regions and foreign exchange volatility contributing to persistent increases in food prices.
For many families, rice, beans, garri and eggs are no longer just basic staples but indicators of how quickly the cost of living continues to rise across the country.
