Nigeria’s overall inflation fell sharply in September 2025, but imported food prices kept rising due to sustained foreign exchange pressure and global market instability.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its latest Consumer Price Index report, said headline inflation declined to 18.02 per cent from 20.12 per cent in August — the steepest monthly drop in recent years.
Food inflation slowed to 16.87 per cent from 21.87 per cent, marking the first negative month-on-month movement (-1.57 per cent) since February 2012, when food prices last recorded an actual fall.
NBS linked the decline to the ongoing harvest season across key farming regions, which increased the supply of staples like rice, maize, yam, and vegetables. The agency also noted that a recent rebasing of the inflation basket better reflects current spending patterns.
Despite this relief for local produce, the cost of imported food continued to surge. The Imported Food Price Index rose from 111.5 points in January to 124.1 points in September, an 11.3 per cent increase in nine months. On a monthly basis, it climbed 3.4 per cent in September from 120.0 points in August.
This contrast highlights Nigeria’s twin inflation pressures — local harvests easing prices domestically, while import dependence on staples such as wheat, sugar, and dairy keeps household costs high.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi, credited the price decline to increased output under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme Agro-Pocket programme launched in 2023.
He clarified that the temporary import window was only meant to cover production gaps and that imported items have yet to reach the market.
