Rice, Garri, Tomatoes, Other Food Prices Rise 141% Within A Year – NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), has declared that the average price of rice, garri and tomatoes rose by about 141 per cent in one year.

It said it was the highest yearly increase for the period based on data from selected food price report, adding that the data clearly indicated that the average price of rice rose to N1,399 in 2024 from N547 within the same period in 2023, showing a percentage increase of 156%.

The report also said that the average price of garri – a major staple by low and middle class income earners surged from N363 in April 2023 to N852 indicating an increase of 135 per cent from in the corresponding period in 2024.

On a month-on-month basis, garri surged 13.59 per cent from N750 in March to N1,554 in April.

The NBS said that the selected food price report showed that the average prices of food items such as onion, rice, beans, bread, beef, tomato and garri, rose considerably in April, thereby accelerating food inflation to 40.5 per cent in April.

Similarly, the average price of tomatoes increased by 17.9 percent from N960 in March to N1,123 in April therefore recorded an increase of 132 per cent year-on-year from N485 in the same period last year.

This was just as the average price of 1kg of garri white (sold loose) increased by 13.59 per cent from N750 in March to N852 in April indicating that the commodity increased by 135 per cent on a year-on-year basis compared to the same period in 2023.

In the same vein, the average price of 1kg beans brown (sold loose) rose by 125 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N616 in April 2023 to N1,388 in April 2024, while there was also a recorded increase of 12.44 per cent on a month-on-month basis.

The report stated that on a state basis, Niger State recorded the highest price of a kg local parboiled rice at N1,785 while the lowest was recorded in Benue state at N994.

The report also showed that at the zonal level, the average price of 1kg rice local sold was highest in the South-West at N1,615, followed by the South-South at N1,565, while the North-West recorded the lowest average price at N1,163.

The report further said that the analysis of the zone, showed that the average price of 1kg of garri white was highest in the South-South and the South-West at N1,031 and N982, respectively, while the lowest was recorded in the North-West at N682 where its consumption is lower.