By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
A tough Christmas lies ahead for Nigerians as they anticipating yet another Yuletide, but a three-fold rise in food costs is making the once-looked-forward-to period sobering.
The tempo of the celebration might be mixed: cheers for the well to do; tears for the ordinary people as food prices have more than tripled between last December till now.
Staples such as rice, beans, and yam have soared. Even the cost of buying chicken, turkey or fish are now luxury, making these once affordable items far out of reach for average citizens.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that headline inflation, which accounts for consumer prices, quickened to 33.88 percent in October while food inflation surged to 39.16 percent in the reference period.
The continued rise in food prices is disrupting the goal of achieving a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, leading to low productivity and ultimately slows economic growth.
According to the NBS, the average cost of a healthy diet spiked by 113 percent to N1,346 in September 2024 from N631 in the same month in 2023.
“Within a year, the price of staple foods for many cash-strapped Nigerians has more than doubled. Protein sources have seen a larger increase, causing households to reduce their healthy diet intake,” Lagos-based SBM Intel said in a recent chart.
Here are the top 10 most expensive food items:
According to a presentation by Bismark Rewane on Channels Television recently, and data sourced from the NBS and SBM Intel, these food items have risen significantly, shrinking Nigerians wallet:
1. Rice: Rice is a most acceptable staple in Nigeria. But its cost has surged by 75 percent, jumping from N60,000 last December to N105,000 for just one bag. For Xmas, rice is the commonly cooked food, but households who can’t afford to buy may be forced to find alternatives.
2. Live chicken: What is a festival without eating chicken, whether grilled or fried. The cost of live chicken has also soared by 66.67 percent, rising from N15,000 to N25,000 in just a year.
3. Vegetable oil: The prices of vegetable oil have also seen significant rise, pushing households to adopt palm oil as alternatives. Five litres of the oil sold for N7,000 as of last year but has climbed up to as high as N23,000, up by 228.57 percent.
4. Palm oil: Used as an alternative, the cost of five litres of palm oil also jumped by 83.33 percent within a year as demand increases. The red oil was sold at N6,000 but now stood at about N11,000.
5. Tomatoes: Tomato, a commonly used sauce in households also grew, though marginally due to the post harvest season by 8 percent, rising from N25,000 to N27,000 for one basket.
6. Turkey: Another source of protein used as a substitute to chicken or cow beef, one kilo of Turkey rose by 34.62 percent, surging from N5,200 to N7,000 in a year.
7. Crate of egg: A crate of egg which once sold for N2,600 now sells for as much as N6,000 as cost of feeding poultry birds soar. It jumped by 130.76 percent from last year till date.
8. Onions: The price of onions have also skyrocketed, increasing from N592.80 to N1,251.50 for 1 kilogram of it. It rose by 111 percent in a year.
9. Yam: Yams prices have been hovering over the past one year, rising by 148 percent. It sold for N687.70 per one Kg last December but now sells for N1,251.50 at an average price.
10. Garri: Formerly the food for the poor, the price of one 50kg garri which sold for N23,000 now sells around N37,000, surging by 60.87 percent.
With Christmas gradually drawing closer, analysts view that food prices may even be more elevated on high seasonal demands, further dampening hopes for a glamorous celebration.
Business Day