The prices of key food staples, including garri and beans, declined significantly in April 2026, providing some relief to consumers amid easing food inflation pressures.
Other News
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the average price of white garri sold loose fell by 39.86% year-on-year, while brown beans recorded a steeper decline of 44.89% compared to the corresponding period of 2025.
The figures were contained in the NBS Selected Food Price Watch report for April 2026, which also showed mixed price movements across other staple food items and significant regional disparities in food costs.
What the data is saying
The NBS data indicates that several major food commodities recorded notable year-on-year declines despite marginal increases on a monthly basis.
- The average price of white garri sold loose fell from N1,345.10 in April 2025 to N808.96 in April 2026, representing a 39.86% decline year-on-year, although it rose by 0.93% compared to March 2026.
- Brown beans declined by 44.89% year-on-year to N1,338.93 from N2,429.39 recorded in April 2025, while increasing marginally by 0.99% month-on-month.
- Tomatoes sold for an average of N1,177.92 per kilogram, reflecting an 8.23% year-on-year decline but a 6.60% increase from the previous month.
- Onion bulbs fell by 22.56% year-on-year to N1,164.39 per kilogram, while fresh ginger rose by 12.30% year-on-year to N5,581.82 per kilogram.
The latest figures suggest that while food inflation has moderated compared to a year ago, short-term price pressures remain evident across several food categories.
More Insights
The report also highlighted wide disparities in food prices across states and geopolitical zones, reflecting differences in supply chains, transportation costs, and local market conditions.
- Bayelsa recorded the highest average tomato price at N1,600.73 per kilogram, while Plateau posted the lowest at N730.48.
- Oyo State recorded the highest average price for brown beans at N1,938.91, while Taraba recorded the lowest at N750.
- Abia recorded the highest average garri price at N1,075.47 per kilogram, while Plateau again posted the lowest at N517.94.
- Onion prices were highest in Abia at N2,191.63 per kilogram and lowest in Nasarawa at N832.16.
At the regional level, the South-South recorded the highest average tomato price at N1,561.10 per kilogram, while the North-West posted the lowest at N822.72. The South-East recorded the highest average garri price at N944.58 per kilogram, while the North-Central had the lowest at N673.88.
What you should know
Food inflation has remained one of the major drivers of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis over the past two years, although recent data suggests price pressures are gradually easing.
- Food inflation rose to 16.06% year-on-year, although significantly lower than the 24.68% recorded in April 2025.
The NBS attributed the rise in food prices to increases in the cost of key staples, including millet, yam flour, fresh ginger, beef, garri, beans, tomatoes, wheat grain, soybeans, and plantain.
