Nigeria Food Prices May 2025: Food Inflation Breaks Below 22% for First Time This Year
May 2025 saw Nigeria's food inflation fall to 21.14% — the first sub-22% reading since the base year change. Garri led the declines while rice remained stubbornly expensive, highlighting the split between locally-grown and import-dependent commodities.
NaijaMarket Intel Research Team
NaijaMarket Intel
May 2025: A Milestone, With Caveats
The NBS May 2025 food inflation reading of 21.14% was celebrated in some quarters as evidence that the worst was over. The milestone was real: it was the first reading below 22% since the NBS adopted its new 2024 base year.
But the composition of that decline mattered enormously for different households.
Key Price Data
| Commodity | May 2025 (₦/kg) | April 2025 (₦/kg) | MoM | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Rice | ₦1,940 | ₦1,938 | +0.1% | −0.4% |
| Brown Beans | ~₦2,200 | ~₦2,420 | −9.1% | −21.4% |
| White Garri | ~₦1,100 | ~₦1,160 | −5.2% | −7.6% |
| Tomatoes | ~₦1,380 | ~₦1,380 | 0% | −5.8% |
| Palm Oil (litre) | ~₦2,590 | ~₦2,580 | +0.4% | +0.3% |
The Garri Story
May 2025's garri price decline was significant and welcomed. White garri's 5.2% monthly fall reflected improving cassava supply from Ogun, Oyo, and Delta states, where the 2025 short-season harvest was coming in.
Garri prices matter disproportionately in food security terms. Garri is the refuge commodity — the food people turn to when everything else becomes too expensive. When garri falls, it benefits Nigeria's most economically vulnerable households most directly.
The Wuse Market in Abuja reported garri at ₦1,050/kg in late May — down from ₦1,200/kg in February. Traders described buyers returning to larger purchase quantities: "Before, people carry small nylon. Now they are buying 2kg, 3kg at a time."
Rice: The Stubborn Exception
Rice told a different story in May 2025. Despite the harvest season beginning for some varieties, local rice prices were essentially flat — barely −0.4% year-on-year.
The reason: milling capacity constraints. Even with paddy rice harvests improving in Kebbi and Ebonyi states, the grain cannot reach consumers as finished rice faster than existing mills can process it. Until Nigeria invests in modern milling infrastructure, rice will remain expensive relative to its production potential.
This structural constraint means rice-consuming households — particularly in the South-East and South-South where rice is the primary staple — received far less benefit from 2025's commodity price declines than bean- or garri-consuming households.
Wuse Market Spotlight — Abuja
| Item | May 2025 Price | March 2025 Price |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato (big basket) | ₦6,500 | ₦7,500 |
| Onions (big bag) | ₦22,000 | ₦26,000 |
| White garri (50kg) | ₦52,000 | ₦58,000 |
| Beans (50kg) | ₦100,000 | ₦120,000 |
| Local rice (50kg) | ₦53,000 | ₦54,500 |
Data: NBS Food Price Watch May 2025; Nairametrics Abuja market surveys.
Share Report