Major staple food prices across Nigeria increased by double figures month-on-month, the latest food price watch by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown.
This is according to the NBS Food Price Watch for February 2024 released by the NBS recently.
According to the report, the average Food such as Garri, Rice, Beans, Beef, bread increased by as high as 25% with the lowest around 10% between January and February 2024.
The average price of 1kg of loose local rice increased by 19.69% from N1,021.79 sold in January 2024 to N1,222.97 in the month of February. On an annual basis, the price of loose local rice increased by 134.81% from N520.84 to its current figure.
The average price of 1kg brown Beans (sold loose) increased from N976.58 in January 2024 to N1,177.9 in February. This indicates an increase of 20.62% in one month. On an annual basis, the price of 1kg brown beans jumped from N594.15 in February 2023 to its current price.
Monthly, the average cost of 1kg boneless beef increased by 10.22% from N3,315.78 it sold in January to N3,654.56 for February 2024. On a year-on-year basis, the price of Beef increased by 49.41% from N2,445.96 in February, 2023.
Similarly, the average price of loose Garri white per kilogram surged by 109.16% year-on-year, climbing from N345.88 in February 2023 to N723.45 in February 2024, with a monthly increase of 20.44%.
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The average price of Yam tuber per kilogram rose by 131.33% year-on-year, escalating from N436.41 in February 2023 to N1009.56 in February 2024. On a month-on-month basis, it saw an 11.93% increase from N901.94 in January 2024 to N1009.56 in February 2024.
Likewise, the average price of one medium-sized agricultural egg surged by 58.21% year-on-year, climbing from N88.03 in February 2023 to N139.28 in February 2024, with a monthly increase of 19.65% from N116.41 in January 2024.
The average price of a 500g sliced bread rose from N 904.02 in January 2024 to N1,047.86 in February. This represents an increase of 15.91% between January and February. Yearly, the price of bread increased by 89.48% between February 2023 and February 2024.
By Babajide Okeowo