Rising food prices deepen food insecurity in Nigeria: NBS

NIGERIA – According to the latest General Household Survey Panel (GHS-Panel) released by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), rising food prices in Nigeria have exacerbated food insecurity, severely impacting the country’s most vulnerable populations.

The report, released in partnership with the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, highlights that 71% of households cite food price hikes as their primary economic shock.

This alarming trend is affecting access to essential staples such as onions, tomatoes, rice, cooking oil, frozen chicken, wheat flour, and yams.

While rising food prices have affected households nationwide, urban areas are bearing the brunt. The survey highlights that 75.5% of urban households have been significantly impacted compared to 68.9% of rural households.

This disparity is largely attributed to urban consumers’ dependence on markets for food, whereas rural households often rely on self-produced food.

Despite these differences, both urban and rural families allocate over half of their total expenditures to food.

Inflationary pressures have forced many to adopt coping strategies, such as reducing consumption, relying on family or friends for support, and cutting back on the quantities purchased.

The report reveals that 48% of households have limited food intake over the past year, while 36.1% have relied on external assistance, and 32.6% have reduced their purchasing quantities.

The purchasing power of Nigerian consumers has been under strain for years due to compounded crises.

These include the economic fallout of COVID-19, the global surge in input costs driven by the Russia-Ukraine war, and domestic challenges such as the removal of fuel subsidies.

In May 2024, food inflation peaked at a staggering 40.66%, marking its highest level in nearly three decades. While inflation has since eased slightly, it remains high, with October’s rate climbing to 33.88%, up from 32.70% in September.

Households have employed various strategies to adapt. Urban families are more likely to dip into savings (31%) compared to their rural counterparts (20.9%), while rural households rely on food stocks or the sale of agricultural produce (21.6%) compared to 6.2% of urban households.

Despite these efforts, many have been forced to forgo dietary diversity, with 63.8% of households sticking to a reduced list of basic items.

Nutritional consequences

According to the report, this constrained access to food has significant health implications. Nutritional deficiencies are contributing to widespread stunting and wasting among children.

The NBS reports that 25% of children aged 6 to 59 months are underweight, a marked increase from 19% in 2018/2019. Acute food insecurity currently affects approximately 31.8 million Nigerians, a figure that underscores the urgency of addressing the crisis.

Sign up to HERE receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.