Prices of beans, eggs, garri, others rise monthly despite annual decline — NBS
By Progress Godfrey
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported a fresh uptick in food prices on a month-on-month basis, even as key staples recorded sharp declines year-on-year, indicating persistent pressure in Nigeria’s food market.
The NBS Selected Food Price Watch for March 2026, released on Wednesday, showed that while beans, eggs and garri became cheaper year-on-year, prices edged higher in March compared to February, reflecting short-term supply constraints.
According to the bureau, “The average price of Eggs (a crate of 30pieces) stood at N6,127.62, representing a 20.12% year-on-year decline from N7,670.56 recorded in March 2025. On a month-on-month basis, the price also increased by 2.00% compared to February 2026.
“Similarly, the average price of Beans brown (1kg) was N1,325.85 in March 2026, reflecting a significant year-on-year decline of 49.32% from N2,616.26 in March 2025, while on a month-on-month basis, this item increased by 1.41% from N1,307.44 in February 2026.
The report added that, “In the same period, the average price of Garri white sold loose (1kg) declined to 41.19% year-on-year, from N1,362.96 in March 2025 to N801.54 in March 2026. Compared with February 2026, the price grew by 1.38%.
“Likewise, the average price of Onion bulb (1kg) decreased to N1,153.14 in March 2026 from N1,434.85 in March 2025, representing a year-on-year reduction of 19.63%, while a month-on-month increase of 1.59% was also recorded. The average price of Ginger fresh (1kg) stood at N5,541.25, which represents a 20.46% increase when compared to March 2025 (year-on-year), and an increase of 0.61% month-on-month.”
Across states, the report showed wide price disparities, with Taraba recording the highest egg prices and Niger the lowest, while Oyo posted the highest beans prices and Taraba the lowest.
Regional analysis also revealed that the South-East recorded the highest average prices for eggs and onions, while the North-West and North-Central zones reported the lowest across several staples.
Reacting, President of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, said restoring guaranteed minimum prices would be critical to stabilising food markets and encouraging farmers to scale production.
He said, “The restoration of GMP (guaranteed minimum prices) will encourage farmers to go back to produce these commodities optimally thereby reversing the apathy that might cause greater turbulence.”
Ibrahim explained that without such initiatives, farmers may remain reluctant to expand output, leaving the market exposed to recurring supply shocks. “Commodities such as rice and several others are experiencing similar shocks.”
According to him, maize, which is a common staple utilised by both humans and animals also face this shock. “And this portends serious stresses in the food system,” he added.
He warned that unless policy support is strengthened, the current mix of annual price relief and short-term increases could persist, deepening volatility in the food system.
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