The average price of one kilogram of locally produced rice dropped from N2,068.00 in January 2025 to N1,841.83 in January 2026. This figure is a drop of 10.94 per cent year-on-year. On a month-on-month basis, the price also decreased by 0.18 per cent compared to December 2025.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported this in its selected food price watch report for January 2026 released on Tuesday.
The price of rice, a staple food in Nigeria, has witnessed significant increases since the present administration assumed office in May 2023. The price moved from N514.83 per kilogram in January 2023, to N1,021.79 in January 2024, a sharp increase of 98.47 per cent within a year.
The sharp price increase was the result of the hyperinflation that followed the removal of fuel subsidy.
The price moderation is a result of some policy measures including the import duty waiver granted by the government to allow more importation of food as a way to force down prices of the commodity.
NBS in the report also said the average price of one kilogram of brown beans was N1,262.43 in January 2026, reflecting a significant year-on-year decline of 48.65 per cent from N2,458.53 in January 2025, while on a month-on-month basis this item increased by 0.99 per cent from N1,250.11 in December 2025.
Prices of other items contained in the report include that of one kilogram of onion bulb which decreased by 17.87 per cent year-on-year, from N1,367.62 in January 2025 to N1,123.26 in January 2026. Compared with December 2025, the price also declined by 4.19 per cent; price of one kilogram of tomatoes decreased to N1,024.65 in January 2026 from N1,081.44 in January 2025, representing a year-on-year reduction of 5.25 per cent, while a month-on-month decline of 3.07 per cent was also recorded. The average price of one kilogram of cray fish (small white), according to NBS, stood at N8,660.06. This represents a 39.07 per cent increase when compared to January 2025 (year-on-year) also an increase of 0.86 per cent on month-on-month.
State by state analysis shows notable variations across states. Kogi State recorded the highest average price for locally produced rice as 1kg sold at N2,159.61, while Bauchi State reported the lowest average price at N1,542.78. For 1kg of brown beans, Oyo State recorded the highest average price at N1,912.34, whereas Taraba State had the lowest at N650.00. In the case of onion bulb, Abia State recorded the highest average price at N2,114.14 per kg, while Sokoto State recorded the lowest at N772.43. Similarly, the average price of 1kg of tomatoes was highest in Rivers State at N1,380.21, while Kaduna State recorded the lowest average price at N673.45.
Regional analysis also indicates notable price variations across zones for the selected food items. For 1kg of locally produced rice, the North-Central zone recorded the highest average price at N2,013.45, followed by the South-West at N1,933.07, while the North-East reported the lowest average price at N1,622.93. In the case of brown beans, the highest average prices per kg were observed in the South West, N1,716.45 and South-South, N1,712.66 zones, whereas the North-West recorded the lowest price at N773.17. For onion bulb, the South-East had the highest average price per kg at N1,677.25, followed by the South-South at N1,248.46, while the North-Central zone recorded the lowest average price at N893.25. Similarly, the average price of tomatoes was highest in the South-South at N1,296.93 per kg, followed by the South-East at N1,208.65, while the North-West recorded the lowest average price at N741.38.