By Aishat Bakare
For the first time in over a decade, Nigerians are beginning to feel some relief at the markets as food prices drop nationwide.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), food inflation has declined by 9.2 percent — from 26.08 percent in January 2025 to 16.87 percent in September 2025 — marking a rare period of stability in staple prices.
A market survey shows significant drops in the prices of key food items. A 50kg bag of rice now sells for ₦65,000, down from ₦92,000 in October 2024. Similarly, a big tuber of yam now averages ₦3,500, compared to ₦10,000 last year, while a basket of tomatoes sells for ₦35,000, down from ₦50,000.
Experts and farmers credit this slowdown in food inflation to favourable weather conditions and steady rainfall, which have boosted harvests and increased food supply across markets.
Although floods destroyed thousands of hectares of rice farms in parts of Niger State, most farmers still recorded one of their best harvests in years, reflecting the overall improvement in agricultural output and the resulting fall in food prices.
