Nigeria’s food inflation rate jumped to 20.31% in July 2026, reaching its highest level in 10 months despite a slowdown in overall inflation.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index report by the National Bureau of Statistics, food inflation jumped to 17.52 per cent in July from 17.52 per cent in June
The figure suggests that the rate at which Nigerians are spending on foodstuffs has remained high
though the headline inflation rate declined slightly to 15.43 per cent from 15.91 per cent in the same period last year
The News Chronicle reports that food inflation has been on an upward trend since January, rising from 8.89% at the start of the year to 20.31% in July.
it was 10.84 per cent in December 2025 and 12.21 per cent in February, 14.31 per cent in March, 16.06 per cent in April and 16.96 per cent in May.
The Federal Government has taken steps to lower the rate of food inflation, such as relaxing import duties on some items while also encouraging mechanisation in farm production.
The latest data indicates that food remains unaffordable to many Nigerians despite efforts by the government to ease the burden since the onset of the country’s economic transition in 2025.
