By Mariam Abeeb
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the prices of key food items, including beans, eggs, bread, rice, and tomatoes, saw significant increases in September 2024.
In its “Selected Food Prices Watch” report for September 2024 released on Wednesday, NBS said the average price for 1 kilogram (kg) of brown beans rose by 281.97 percent to N2,738.59 last month, compared to N716.97 recorded in the corresponding period in 2023.
“On a month-on-month basis, 1kg of brown beans increased by 6.37% in September from N2,574.63 recorded in August 2024,” NBS said.
The bureau also noted that the price for a dozen medium-sized agric eggs increased by 137.43 percent year-on-year from N1,047.47 in September 2023 to N2,487.04 last month.
NBS said on a month-on-month basis, the eggs increased by 8.46 percent, rising from N2,289.19 recorded in August 2024.
According to the bureau, the average price of sliced bread rose to N1,528.19 in September, up from N708.36 in the same month last year — a year-on-year increase of 115.74 percent.
The bureau said the price increased on a month-on-month basis by 4.68 percent from the N1,459.85 recorded in August.
Additionally, the average price of 1kg of local rice increased to N1,914.77 in the review period, indicating a 152.92 percent year-on-year growth compared to N757.06 in September 2023.
“On a month-on-month basis, it increased by 4.57 per cent from N1,831.05 recorded in August 2024,” NBS said.
The report also showed that the average price of 1kg of boneless beef rose by 99.99 percent year-on-year, from N2,816.91 in September last year to N5,633.60 in September 2024.
However, on a month-on-month basis, the price of 1kg of boneless beef decreased by 1.44 percent from the N5,553.80 recorded in August.
Also, NBS said the average price of 1kg of tomatoes increased from N565.69 in September 2023 to N1,430.87 in September 2024 — a year-on-year increase of 152.94 percent
“However, on a month-on-month basis, the average price of 1kg of tomato declined by 5.01 per cent from N1,506.35 in August 2024 to N1,430.87 in September 2024,” the bureau said.
