Price of Garri, Beans, Rice Drops Across Markets Nationwide
- The NBS has revealed that prices of key food items, including garri and beans, have dropped
- Data shows that residents across different states experienced wide variations in food price changes
- Bauchi, Taraba, and Adamawa are recording some of the lowest prices for key staples
Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, the stock market, and broader market trends.
Prices of key staple foods such as garri, beans, maize, and rice recorded declines across Nigerian markets.
New commodity price data for January 2026 published by NBS showed that some of the most widely consumed household staples experienced sharp year-on-year reductions.
Source: Getty Images
Key food items drop
Garri, one of the food items surveyed, recorded one of the largest declines when the prices of January 2025 and January 2026 are compared.
1kg White garri fell from an average of N1,267.63 in January 2025 to N771.98 in January 2026, representing a 39.10% drop. Yellow garri also declined sharply from N1,358.96 to N821.91, a 39.52% decrease.
Beans also recorded price reductions across markets.
Brown beans dropped from N2,458.53 to N1,262.43, a 48.65% decline, while white beans fell from N2,123.85 to N1,209.91, representing a 43.03% reduction over the period.
Maize (white grains) followed a similar downward trend, falling from N1,168.34 to N784.59, a 32.85% decline.
Rice prices also dropped, according to the data published by the bureau.
Local rice (short-grained) declined from N2,068.00 to N1,841.83, a 10.94% drop, while imported long-grain rice fell from N2,505.48 to N2,197.01, representing a 12.31% reduction.
Other food items, such as fresh onions, dropped by 17.87%, sweet potatoes fell by 12.65%, and fresh tomatoes declined by 5.25%.
However, the data also shows mixed movements in other food categories, with items such as crayfish, ginger, chicken, and fish recording increases.
Price breakdown by states shows disparity. For example, beans were cheapest in Bauchi and Taraba, while Oyo and Bayelsa recorded some of the highest prices.
Source: Getty Images
Here is a snapshot of the changes
10 food Items with the highest price decline (Jan 2025 – Jan 2026)
- Brown Beans (−48.65%)
- White Beans (−43.03%)
- Garri Yellow (−39.52%)
- Garri White (−39.10%)
- Maize (White grains) (−32.85%)
- Onions (Fresh) (−17.87%)
- Rice Long-Grained (Imported) (−12.31%)
- Sweet Potatoes (−12.65%)
- Rice Local (Short-Grained) (−10.94%)
- Tomatoes (Fresh) (−5.25%)
10 food Items with the highest Increase for the period under review
- Crayfish, small white (+39.07%)
- Ginger, fresh (+29.43%)
- Chicken feet (+20.02%)
- Dried fish, Bonga (+18.53%)
- Catfish (fresh) (+15.82%)
- Smoked fish (Mackerel) (+15.76%)
- Tilapia (fresh fish) (+15.46%)
- Chicken wings (+14.79%)
- Beef boneless (+12.28%)
- Frozen chicken meat (+7.51%)
Food inflation in February 2026
Legit.ng earlier reported that the NBS has also released the food inflation rate for February 2026, and again it eased on a year-on-year basis to 12.12%.
This represents a decline of 14.86 percentage points compared to 26.98% recorded in February 2025.
Source: Legit.ng
