Following a poor crop, Nigeria’s food inflation has gotten worse due, among other things, to insecurity, a lack of alternatives, and the government’s strict border management controls. According to farmers, the post-farming crop has been disappointing, and logistic expenses have a detrimental effect on pricing.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that prices for basic staples such tomatoes, beans, and yams increased in April.
The statement was made by the statistics office in its Selected Food Prices Watch Report for April, which was released on Saturday in Abuja. According to the research, the average price of a kilogram of tomatoes increased annually by 13.73%, from N426.54 in April 2022 to N485.10 in April 2023.
On a month-on-month basis, NBS report indicated that 1kg of tomato increased by 3.97 per cent in April from the N466.60 recorded in March 2023. The report also showed the average price of 1kg of brown beans (sold loose) increased by 16.03 per cent on a year-on-year basis, from N530.62 in April 2022 to N615.67 in April 2023.
“On a month-on-month basis, it increased by 3.13 per cent in April from N596.96 in March 2023,’’ the NBS added. It stated also that the average price of 1kg of onion bulb rose by 15.87 per cent on a year-on-year basis, from N380.94 in April 2022 to N441.38 in April 2023.
“On a month-on-month basis, it dropped by 0.67 per cent in April from the N444.37 recorded in March 2023,’’ it stated. The report stated also that the average price of 1kg of Yam rose by 23.12 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N361.20 in April 2022 to N444.69 in April 2023.
“On a month-on-month basis, 1kg tuber of yam increased by 0.38 per cent in April from the N443.02 recorded in March 2023,’’ it added. It stated that the average price of 1kg of boneless beef increased by 23.13 per cent from N2,026.8 in April 2022 to N2,495.69 in April 2023.
“On a month-on-month basis, 1kg of boneless beef increased by 0.65 per cent in April from the N2,479.61 recorded in March 2023,’’ it added. The report explained that at the state level, the highest average price of 1kg boneless beef was recorded in Imo at N3,277.11, while the lowest was recorded in Kogi at N1,789.67.
In addition, the average cost of a bottle of vegetable oil increased annually from N981.16 in April 2022 to N1,239.58 in April 2023, a rise of 26.34 percent. According to the study, “on a month-over-month basis, it increased by 1.55 percent in April from N1,220.62 recorded in March 2023.”
One kilogram of tomatoes cost an average of N950.62 in Edo, while N205.26 was the lowest price ever recorded in Kogi. According to the survey, brown beans (sold loose) were most expensive in Ebonyi at N961.74 and least expensive in Niger at N428.57. Cross River had the highest average price for a kilogram of onion bulbs, N987.39, while Katsina State had the lowest average price.
The report added that the highest average price of 1kg of Yam tuber was recorded in Akwa Ibom at N920.15, while the lowest was recorded in Benue at N200.37. Additionally, Kogi had the lowest average price for a bottle of vegetable oil at N735.33, while Abia had the highest average price at N1,694.74 per bottle.
According to a zone-by-zone analysis, the Southeast had the highest average price for 1 kg of boneless beef at N3,223.05, followed by the South-South at N2,673.33, and the North-Central had the lowest average price at N2,133.46.
According to the report, the South-South and South-East had the highest average tomato prices, at N849.02 and N647.96, respectively, while the North-East had the lowest, at N256.13.
Brown beans sold loose cost an average of N834.55 in the Southeast and N699.76 in the South-South, respectively. According to the Bureau, the North-East had the lowest price, which was N496.78.
