Food Inflation Persists In S’West, S’East As Prices Drop In North

Despite claims by the Federal Government that food inflation is on a downward trend, market surveys across major cities have shown that the cost of essential food items remains high, with traders and consumers expressing frustration over the continued economic pressure.

The National Bureau of Statistics, in its June 2025 Consumer Price Index, reported that food inflation slowed to 38.2 per cent, down from 40.66 per cent in May, citing increased food supply and government interventions.

But market realities appear to contradict the data, as buyers and sellers in various states told Sunday PUNCH that prices remained far above pre-May levels, and the impact of the reported inflation drop was not being felt at the grassroots.

A visit to major markets in Lagos, Oyo, Delta, Rivers, Anambra, Abuja, Sokoto, Kano, and Kaduna states reveals that prices of staple foods such as rice, beans, yam, tomato, maize, and garri have either remained static or surged in the past two months.

Checks by Sunday PUNCH revealed that prices of essential foodstuffs and household items have continued to rise in major markets in the South-West states

In Lagos State, visits to markets in Iyana Iba, Ikorodu, and surrounding areas reveal that the price of local parboiled rice rose from N53,000 in May to N77,000 by July.

Also, a 50kg bag of maize that sold for N68,000 in May now goes for N78,000, while a bag of white garri spiked to N60,000.

Tomatoes witnessed one of the steepest spikes in recent months, soaring from N58,500 per basket in May to N110,000 by July.

Onions also saw a steady price hike, rising from N85,000 per bag in May to N100,000 in June, and reaching N140,000 in July.

Beans maintained a high price range, trading at N82,000 in May before easing slightly to N75,000 in June. New tubers of yam now sell between N5,000 and N6,000.

Speaking with our correspondent, a trader at Ikorodu Market, Temitope Maria, lamented the unpredictable nature of the price hikes.

She noted that both sellers and buyers were grappling with the volatility.

“About two months ago, a bag of local parboiled rice sold for about N53,750, but now it has increased to N77,000,” she said.