Consumers paid more for food items in March 2026, as prices of eggs, beans, local rice, garri, and others rose, according to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The report, Selected Food Price Watch report for March 2026, was released on Wednesday.

Although the report showed that the average price of Eggs (a crate of 30 pieces) stood at ₦6,127.62, representing a 20.12% year-on-year decline from ₦7,670.56 recorded in March 2025, on a month-on-month basis, the price also increased by 2.00% compared to February 2026.

Similarly, the average price of brown beans (1kg) was ₦1,325.85 in March 2026, reflecting a significant year-on-year decline of 49.32% from ₦2,616.26 in March 2025, while on a month-on-month basis, this item increased by 1.41% from ₦1,307.44 in February 2026.

In the same period, the average price of Garri white sold loose (1kg) declined by 41.19% year-on-year, from ₦1,362.96 in March 2025 to ₦801.54 in March 2026.

Compared with February 2026, the price grew by 1.38%. Likewise, the average price of onion bulbs (1 kg) decreased to ₦1,153.14 in March 2026 from ₦1,434.85 in March 2025, representing a year-on-year reduction of 19.63%, while a month-on-month increase of 1.59% was also recorded.

Similarly, the average price of fresh ginger (1 kg) stood at ₦5,541.25, which represents a 20.46% increase when compared to March 2025 (year-on-year), and an increase of 0.61% month-on-month.

The March 2026 state-level price profile indicated notable variations across states.

Taraba State recorded the highest average price for Eggs (a crate of 30 pieces) at ₦6,999.00, while Niger State reported the lowest average price at ₦5,610.04.

For brown beans (1 kg), Oyo State recorded the highest average price at ₦1,937.20, whereas Taraba State had the lowest at ₦745.

In the case of white Garri (1 kg), Abia State recorded the highest average price at ₦1,075.45, while Plateau State recorded the lowest at ₦513.78.

Similarly, the average price of onion bulbs (1 kg) was highest in Abia State at ₦2,115.67, while Kwara State recorded the lowest average price at ₦829.91. 4.

A regional analysis indicates notable price variations across zones for selected food items.

For Eggs (a crate of 30 pieces), the South-East zone recorded the highest average price at ₦6,521.47, followed by the North East at ₦6,375.91, while the North-West reported the lowest average price at ₦5,908.61.

For brown beans (1 kg), the highest average prices were observed in the South-West (₦1,770.57) and South-South (₦1,762.49) zones, whereas the North-West recorded the lowest price at ₦851.11.

For white garri (1kg), the South-South had the highest average price at ₦942.68, followed by the South-East at ₦942.04, while the North-Central zone recorded the lowest average price at ₦670.16.

Similarly, the average price of bulb onion (1kg) was highest in the South-East at ₦1,714.81, followed by the South-South at ₦1,266.80, while the North-Central recorded the lowest average price at ₦907.76. (Channels)

Update news