Nigeria’s food inflation rate continued to weigh heavily on household budgets as the annual food inflation measurement showed substantial improvement from last year’s crisis levels.
Data from the national inflation report confirmed that food inflation stood at 13.12% year-on-year, a sharp decline from the 39.16% recorded in October 2024.
The moderation reflects strong base effects following months of steep price surges driven by fuel reforms, insecurity in food-producing regions and currency depreciation.
However, the week-to-week reality for consumers remains challenging.
On a month-on-month basis, the food inflation figure printed at -0.37%, shifting upward from -1.57% in September. The move indicates that food prices resumed an upward trajectory after briefly slowing in the previous month.
Market analysts attribute the renewed pressure to rising costs of urban logistics, transport-related markups, and short supply of certain essential items driven by seasonal patterns and structural bottlenecks.
The price increases were led by:
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Fresh onions
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Pineapple and oranges
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Shrimp and seafood items
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Groundnuts
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Local vegetables including ugu and okazi
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Select meat items such as goat meat, cow tail and liver
These categories demonstrate how volatile perishables remain at the heart of food inflation, with households feeling the sharpest pain during demand spikes or supply disruptions.
Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages continued to contribute the largest share to the headline inflation index, accounting for more than 6.4 percentage points of the 16.05% national headline figure.
In essence, food alone is responsible for well over 40% of Nigeria’s total inflation burden.
Economists caution that while the slowdown in annual food inflation is encouraging on paper, the rising monthly price momentum underscores the need for sustained supply-chain interventions and agricultural reforms.
Analysts highlighted security conditions in key food belts, high transport costs and limited cold-chain logistics as ongoing threats to price stability heading into the year-end festive season when demand typically rises.
Despite progress recorded this year, food affordability will remain a central priority for policymakers until price stability becomes sustained at the market level.
The Central Bank and fiscal authorities are expected to maintain strong coordination around food security programmes, mechanisation incentives and efforts to boost domestic production.
Food is still the number-one driver of Nigerian inflation — and consumers can feel it daily.