Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The price of Nigeria’s most consumed staple, rice, jumped by 73.2 per cent in 12 months, between November 2022 and November 2023, the latest Selected Food Price Watch by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.
According to the data, the average price of 1kg of local rice increased by 5.8 per cent in November 2023 to N867.18 from N819.42 in October 2023 and rose by 73.2 per cent from N500.80 in November 2022.
Commonly cultivated in the Northern part and some parts of the South East of the country, rice is the most consumed food by Nigerians with one out of every two Nigerians eating it daily.
Other food items witnessed increases, according to the data from the bureau.
The average price of 1kg of boneless beef increased by 29.6 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N2,337.46 in November of last year (2022) to N3,029.50 in November 2023. On a month-on-month basis, the average price of this item increased by 2.76% from N2,948.03 in October 2023.
The average price of 1kg of brown beans (sold loose) rose by 44.9 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N578.55 in November 2022 to N838.85 in November 2023 while it increased by 6.2 per cent from N790.01 quoted in October 2023.
Similarly, the average price of 1kg onion bulb surged by 60.6 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N425.71 in November 2022 to N683.78 in November 2023 and grew by 15.4 per cent on a month-on-month basis.
In addition, the average price of 1kg of tomato rose by 66.7 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N455.13 in November 2022 to N758.65 in November 2023. On a month-on-month basis, it increased by 12.2 per cent from N675.91 in October 2023 to N758.65 in November 2023.
The state profile analysis in November 2023 reveals that the highest average price of 1kg of local rice sold loose was recorded in Lagos state at N1,122.42 while the lowest was recorded in Kebbi state at N688.00.
The highest average price of 1kg of boneless beef, was recorded in Anambra State with N3,850.47, while the lowest was recorded in Yobe State with N2,533.33.
In terms of the average price of 1kg of brown beans (sold loose), Imo state recorded the highest price at N 1,109.75, while Jigawa recorded the lowest price at N 575.00 and Anambra state recorded the highest average price of 1kg onion bulb sold loose with N872.23, while the lowest was reported in Gombe with N 506.41.
The highest average price of 1kg of tomato was recorded in Delta with N 1,505.16, while the lowest average price was recorded in Kano with N396.04.
Also, analysis by zone showed that the average price of 1kg local rice sold loose was highest in the South-West with N956.28, followed by the South-South with N932.47, while the North-East recorded the lowest average price with N776.12.
The average price of 1kg of boneless beef was highest in the South-East and South-West with N3,643.65 and N3,290.11, respectively, while the lowest was recorded in the North-East with N2,632.22.
The South-East recorded the highest average price of 1kg of brown beans (sold loose) with N1,034.08, followed by the South-West with N977.98, while the lowest was recorded in the North-West with N663.96.
The South-east and South-South recorded the highest average price of 1kg onion bulb with N817.11 and N775.34, respectively, while the lowest was recorded in the North-East with N529.95.
Meanwhile, the South-South had the highest average price of 1kg of tomato with N1,307.66, followed by the South-West with N1,047.18, while the lowest was recorded in the North-West with N434.80.
