Food inflation in Benue State surged to 51.8% year-on-year in April 2025, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
This represents a sharp rise from 23.3% recorded in March 2025, with food prices also increasing by 25.6% month-on-month.
The all-items inflation rate in Benue was 34.3% in April, up from 20.8% in March, while monthly all-items inflation accelerated by 12.8%.
The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report read, “In April 2025, Food inflation on a Year-on-Year basis was highest in Benue (51.76%), Ekiti (34.05%), Kebbi (33.82%), while Ebonyi (7.19%), Adamawa (9.52%), and Ogun (9.91%) recorded the slowest rise in Food inflation on Year-on-Year basis.
“On a Month-on-Month basis, however, April 2025 Food inflation was highest in Benue (25.59%), Ekiti (16.73%), and Yobe (13.92%) while Ebonyi (-14.43%), Kano (-11.37%) and Ogun (-7.06%), recorded decline in Food inflation on Month-on-Month basis.”
Benue, widely known as Nigeria’s “food basket,” produces significant volumes of staple crops such as yams, maize, rice, beans, and soybeans. However, ongoing insecurity in the state has severely disrupted farming activities, causing supply shortages that have driven up food prices dramatically.
Insecurity weighs heavily on agriculture and food prices
Recent reports confirm a sharp escalation of violence in Benue State, with armed attacks and clashes between herders and farming communities intensifying in early 2025.
According to multiple news sources, attacks in local government areas like Guma, Gwer East, and Agatu have left dozens dead and displaced thousands, destroying farmland and livestock in the process.
These developments have forced many farmers to abandon their fields for fear of attacks.
The impact on food production is clear, with insecurity limiting planting and harvesting activities, reducing output, and disrupting supply chains.
This supply contraction, coupled with steady or growing demand, has contributed to the steep rise in food prices.
The monthly food inflation increase of 25.6% in Benue is the highest in Nigeria and significantly above the national food inflation average of 21.26% for April 2025.
This increase will likely deepen food insecurity and strain household budgets, especially among low-income families.
What you should know
Other states also recorded elevated food inflation, though none matched Benue’s levels. Kebbi posted food inflation of 33.8% year-on-year with a 4.3% month-on-month rise, while Sokoto recorded 25.3% food inflation with a 13.1% monthly increase.
These figures point to regional variations in food price pressures, but Benue’s situation remains particularly acute due to the intensifying violence.
- Nationally, Nigeria’s headline inflation eased slightly to 23.71% year-on-year in April 2025 from 24.23% in March, while urban inflation remained high at 24.29%. Food inflation at the national level was 21.26%, markedly lower than Benue’s figure.
- The soaring food prices threaten to exacerbate poverty and malnutrition in Benue. As prices rise, many households may reduce food consumption or opt for less nutritious alternatives, increasing the risk of food insecurity.
- Nairametrics earlier reported that Nigeria’s farmer-herder crisis reached alarming proportions, leading to over 2.2 million people displaced, heightened food insecurity, and a worsening security situation across the country, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence.
According to the report, “Entire communities have been displaced, with over 2.2 million people forced from their homes nationwide and more than 300,000 crowded into makeshift camps in Benue State alone. Nigeria’s agricultural output has suffered dramatically, particularly in the Middle Belt, which produces much of the country’s food, contributing to dangerous levels of food price inflation across the country. The conflict has also become entangled with other criminal activities, including cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom, creating a security nightmare that defies simple solutions.”
The report noted that the crisis has had a severe impact on Nigeria’s agricultural sector, particularly in the Middle Belt, the nation’s primary food-producing region.
- The disruption of farming activities due to insecurity has significantly reduced food supply, leading to soaring food prices nationwide.
- According to SBM Intelligence, inflationary pressures have intensified as farmers abandon their lands, livestock theft increases, and supply chains break down due to attacks on transport routes.
- The conflict’s economic impact extends beyond food inflation, the report noted.
Government and security agencies have vowed to restore peace and protect farming communities. However, sustained efforts are required to stabilize food production and bring down inflation.
Supportive interventions such as providing agricultural inputs, improving rural security, and targeted food assistance may help mitigate the crisis.
