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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the average price of a 50kg bag of local rice (short grain) rose by 20.5 per cent in March 2026 to ₦112,000, up from ₦92,946 recorded in February.
The figures were contained in the bureau’s Selected Food Price Watch report released for March 2026.
However, market checks suggest a different trend in some locations, where a 50kg bag of local rice is reportedly selling at an average of about ₦60,000, reflecting wide variations in retail pricing across markets.
For imported rice, the NBS said the average price of a 50kg bag increased by 3.06 per cent to ₦133,975 in March from ₦110,589 in February.
The report also showed that several staple food items recorded steady price increases within the same period.
“The average price of eggs (a crate of 30 pieces) increased by 2.0 per cent in March 2026 compared to February 2026,” the NBS stated.
It added that the price of brown beans (1kg) rose by 1.41 per cent to ₦1,325.85, while white garri (1kg) increased by 1.38 per cent to ₦801.54.
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Onions (1kg) also recorded a 1.59 per cent rise to ₦1,153.14, while fresh ginger (1kg) climbed slightly by 0.61 per cent to ₦5,541.25.
The bureau further noted significant state-level disparities in food prices across the country.
Taraba State recorded the highest price for a crate of eggs at ₦6,999, while Niger State had the lowest at ₦5,610.04.
For beans, Oyo State posted the highest price at ₦1,937.20 per kilogram, while Taraba recorded the lowest at ₦745.
In the case of garri, Abia State recorded the highest price at ₦1,075.45 per kilogram, while Plateau State recorded the lowest at ₦513.78.
Similarly, onion prices peaked in Abia State at ₦2,115.67 per kilogram, while Kwara State recorded the lowest at ₦829.9.
The sustained rise in food prices continues to reflect pressure on household incomes amid inflationary trends in Nigeria’s food market.
