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Nigeria spent N3.30 trillion on food and beverage imports in the first six months of 2026, as rising food demand and challenges facing local production continue to put pressure on the country’s food security.
The figure was contained in the first and second-quarter 2026 Foreign Trade Statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and analysed by Nairametrics.
The data showed that Nigeria spent N1.39 trillion on food and beverage imports in the first quarter of the year, while the bill rose to N1.91 trillion in the second quarter.
This means that food and beverage imports increased by about N520 billion between the first and second quarters, pushing total spending for the six-month period to N3.30 trillion.
However, despite the sharp rise between the two quarters, the first-half figure was 3.1 per cent lower than the N3.40 trillion spent on food and beverage imports during the corresponding period of 2025.
In the first half of 2025, Nigeria spent N1.67 trillion on food and beverage imports in the first quarter and N1.73 trillion in the second quarter.
The latest figures show that Nigeria continues to depend heavily on imported food, despite efforts by the Federal Government to increase domestic agricultural production and reduce dependence on imports.
The NBS data showed that primary food and beverage imports accounted for N1.58 trillion of the total import bill in the first half of 2026.
Of this amount, N634.05 billion was spent in the first quarter, while another N948.42 billion was recorded in the second quarter.
Primary food products mainly meant for household consumption accounted for N811.93 billion during the period. Spending on this category rose from N280.81 billion in the first quarter to N531.12 billion in the second quarter.
Primary food products mainly used by industries accounted for another N770.54 billion, made up of N353.24 billion in the first quarter and N417.31 billion in the second quarter.
Processed food and beverage imports took an even larger share of the import bill, accounting for N1.72 trillion during the six-month period.
Spending on processed food imports increased from N758.52 billion in the first quarter to N956.67 billion in the second quarter.
Products mainly intended for industrial use accounted for N780.42 billion, while processed food products mainly meant for household consumption stood at N934.78 billion.
The figures suggest that the increase in imports during the second quarter was spread across both basic food products and processed foods, with household-oriented imports recording particularly strong growth.
Nigeria’s food import bill has remained high in recent years. The country spent N7.65 trillion on food and beverage imports in 2025, compared with N6.58 trillion in 2024.
In 2023, food and beverage imports stood at N3.83 trillion, while N2.86 trillion was recorded in 2022.
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The rising naira value of food imports is influenced by several factors, including the quantity of food imported, international prices and movements in the exchange rate.
For Nigeria, heavy dependence on imported food has wider implications for the economy because importers need foreign exchange to bring the products into the country.
When the naira loses value against major international currencies, the cost of importing food can rise, adding to the pressure on the prices eventually paid by consumers.
The latest figures are coming at a time when food affordability remains a major concern for millions of Nigerian households.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has warned that about 34.7 million Nigerians could face severe food insecurity during the next lean season. The warning highlights the difficulty many households may face in getting enough food at affordable prices.
Food security is not simply about producing enough food. It also involves ensuring that food is available, affordable and accessible to people throughout the year.
This makes increased local production particularly important for Nigeria, which has large areas of farmland and a large population engaged in agriculture.
However, farmers continue to face major challenges, including high production costs, insecurity and losses after harvest. These problems can reduce the amount of food reaching markets and make farming less attractive to producers.
There are also concerns about inadequate storage, poor transportation networks and limited processing capacity, which can lead to large quantities of farm produce being wasted before reaching consumers.
The Federal Government has introduced measures aimed at increasing food production. Among them are a new chicken breed and 57 crop varieties designed to improve food production, food security and nutrition.
But farmers and other stakeholders have continued to call for greater attention to smallholder farmers, who account for a large part of Nigeria’s agricultural production.
Earlier reports indicated concerns that rising production costs, insecurity and post-harvest losses could worsen the country’s food situation in 2026, with some farmers, particularly in parts of the North-Central and North-West, reportedly abandoning agriculture.
With N3.30 trillion already spent on food and beverage imports in just six months, the latest data adds to calls for stronger measures to increase domestic production and reduce food losses.
Experts and stakeholders say improving access to affordable farm inputs, credit, irrigation, storage facilities and good roads would help farmers produce more and move their products to markets.
Expanding local food processing could also reduce the need to import processed food while creating jobs and increasing opportunities for Nigerian businesses.
Reducing dependence on food imports would not only improve food security but could also reduce pressure on foreign exchange and keep more money within the Nigerian economy.
For now, the N3.30 trillion first-half import bill shows that, despite government efforts, Nigeria still has a long way to go in producing enough food locally to meet the needs of its growing population.
