Nigeria's food inflation climbed to 20.31% year-on-year in July 2026, while food prices accelerated sharply on a month-on-month basis, highlighting continued pressure on households even as overall inflation moderated. The figures were released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its July Consumer Price Index report.
Food inflation rose from 17.52% in June to 20.31% in July, an increase of 2.79 percentage points. However, the July rate remained below the 26.20% recorded in July 2025, showing that annual food-price growth is still lower than a year earlier.
The more immediate concern came from the monthly figures. Food inflation accelerated to 5.56% in July from 3.75% in June, representing a 1.82-percentage-point increase and the sharpest monthly food-price pressure in the current rebased CPI series.
The NBS linked the increase to higher average prices for a range of food products, including rice, fresh pepper, onions, carrots, tomatoes, garri, plantain, water yam, beef, eggs, guinea corn, ginger and plantain flour.
The acceleration in food prices stands in contrast to the broader inflation trend. Nigeria's headline inflation fell to 15.43% in July from 15.91% in June, while monthly headline inflation eased from 1.66% to 1.57%. Core inflation, which excludes volatile agricultural products and energy, also declined to 14.97% year-on-year.
Food-price pressures are also highly uneven across the country. Adamawa recorded annual food inflation of 51.36%, followed by Katsina at 30.84% and Zamfara at 30.65%. On a monthly basis, Adamawa recorded the highest increase at 17.02%, followed by Lagos at 13.48% and Borno at 13.26%.
Agricultural stakeholders say rising energy, transportation, fertiliser and financing costs, alongside insecurity and supply-chain disruptions, are continuing to raise production and distribution costs.
NBF Insight
Nigeria's latest inflation data underline a crucial distinction: slowing headline inflation does not directly translate to cheaper food.
Food prices are being driven by supply-side pressures that monetary policy alone cannot resolve. Farmers need affordable inputs and finance, but they also need reliable roads, storage, security, irrigation and efficient routes to market.
Until those constraints ease, Nigeria could continue to experience the uncomfortable combination of moderating headline inflation and stubborn food-price pressure, leaving agricultural producers squeezed by costs while consumers face weaker purchasing power.
