By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
ACROSS NIGERIA, the cost of staple foods shifted in September 2025, with beans, garri, maize, and tomatoes declining, while local rice and boneless beef registered modest increases, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported.
The NBS stated this in its Selected Food Prices Watch report for September 2025, released in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to the report, the average price of 1kg of brown beans fell by 33.70 per cent year-on-year, dropping from N2,738.59 in September 2024 to N1,815.76 in September 2025.
The bureau also noted a month-on-month decline of 1.74 per cent, from N1,847.82 in August 2025.
White garri recorded a similar trend, the NBS reported that the average price of 1kg fell by 25.51 percent from N1,170.25 in September 2024 to N871.78 in September 2025.
Month-on-month, the price declined by 6.52 percent, down from N932.53 in August 2025.
White grain maize sold loose also experienced a reduction, with a 16.57 percent year-on-year drop from N1,065.14 in September 2024 to N888.68 in September 2025.
The report indicated a month-on-month decrease of 6.56 percent, from N951.04 in August 2025.
Tomatoes recorded a smaller decline compared with grains.
The average price of 1kg decreased by 10.56 percent year-on-year, from N1,430.87 in September 2024 to N1,279.84 in September 2025.
On a monthly basis, the price fell slightly by 0.45 percent from N1,285.61 in August 2025.
Contrasting these declines, the report showed that local rice prices increased modestly.
The average price of 1kg rose by 1.99 percent year-on-year, from N1,914.77 in September 2024 to N1,952.94 in September 2025, while month-on-month, the price decreased by 0.56 percent from N1,963.87 in August 2025.
Boneless beef recorded the largest price increase among surveyed items.
The NBS noted a 21.79 percent year-on-year rise, with the average price per kilogram moving from N5,633.60 in September 2024 to N6,861.25 in September 2025.
Month-on-month, the price showed a marginal decrease of 0.02 percent from N6,860.07 in August 2025.
State-level analysis revealed wide variations across the country. Enugu recorded the highest average price for 1kg of brown beans at N2,337.58, while Yobe had the lowest at N1,223.42.
For white garri, Ebonyi topped the chart at N1,297.22, with Taraba recording the lowest at N450.
White maize prices peaked in Imo at N1,488.50, while Yobe again recorded the lowest at N547.84.
Tomato prices reached a high of N2,301.38 in Ebonyi and fell to N697.69 in Plateau.
Local rice was most expensive in Enugu at N2,385.73, while Lagos recorded the lowest price at N1,963.87.
Boneless beef prices were highest in Imo at N9,070.39 and lowest in Benue at N6,860.07.
Analysis by geopolitical zone reflected these differences.
Brown beans were most costly in the South-East and South-West, at N2,241.48 and N2,082.52 respectively, while the North-West recorded the lowest average at N1,397.97.
White garri prices were highest in the South-East and South-South at N1,223.77 and N977.56, respectively, with the North-Central reporting the lowest at N640.68.
White maize prices were highest in the South-East at N1,247.60, followed by the South-South at N1,113.41.
The North-East recorded the lowest at N607.93.
Local rice averaged highest in the North-Central and South-East at N2,031.33 and N2,029.48, respectively, while the South-South reported the lowest price at N2,029.48.
Tomato prices peaked in the South-East at N2,004.88 and the South-South at N1,593.09, with the North-West reporting the lowest at N870.78.
The NBS report also referenced a presidential directive issued in September.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu ordered a Federal Executive Council Committee (FECC) to implement measures aimed at reducing food prices by ensuring the safe passage of products across the country, according to the report.
The Selected Food Prices Watch report provides a monthly overview of price movements for staple food items across states and zones, highlighting both year-on-year and month-on-month changes.
By recording fluctuations in prices for beans, garri, maize, tomatoes, rice, and beef, the report offers insight into regional disparities and national trends in food costs, as captured by the NBS in its September 2025 release.
Across both state and zone analyses, the report illustrates significant variability in food prices, emphasising regional differences in market costs.
The highest and lowest prices for each commodity underscore disparities in supply, demand, and access across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Summarising, the NBS September 2025 food prices showed a decline in several staples, including beans, garri, maize, and tomatoes, while local rice and boneless beef recorded modest increases.
