Rice, beans, eggs record fresh price hike in March

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the average price of a 50kg bag of local rice increased by 20.5 percent in March 2026, rising to N112,000 from N92,946 in February.

The report, released in the NBS Selected Food Price Watch for March 2026, also showed that the price of imported rice increased by 3.06 percent to N133,975 in March from N110,589 in February.

However, Vanguard’s market survey found that many 50kg bags of local short-grain rice were selling for about N60,000 despite the reported increase.

The NBS also said prices of several food items went up during the period:

A crate of 30 eggs increased by 2 percent in March compared to February.

Brown beans (1kg) rose to N1,325.85 from N1,307.44.

White garri (1kg) increased by 1.38 percent to N801.54.

Onion bulbs (1kg) rose by 1.59 percent to N1,153.14.

Fresh ginger (1kg) increased slightly by 0.61 percent to N5,541.25.

According to the report:

Taraba State had the highest price for a crate of eggs at N6,999, while Niger State had the lowest at N5,610.04.

Oyo State recorded the highest price for brown beans at N1,937.20 per kilogram, while Taraba had the lowest at N745.

Abia State had the highest price for white garri at N1,075.45, while Plateau State had the lowest at N513.78.

Abia also recorded the highest onion price at N2,115.67 per kilogram, while Kwara State had the lowest at N829.90.