• Average cost of a pot hits N29,578, up 14.6% in one year •Lagos records sharpest market increase, Calabar becomes Nigeria’s costliest jollof market •Families abandon bulk buying, substitute meat, fresh tomatoes as rains disrupt food supply Sunday Ehigiator A report has indicated that the cost of preparing Nigeria’s most iconic meal, jollof rice, has risen by an alarming 624 per cent over the past decade, highlighting the deepening affordability crisis facing millions of households as climate change, insecurity, poor infrastructure and rising transport costs continue to strain the country’s food supply chain. This was the central finding of the ‘SBM Jollof Index Q2 2026 Report’, titled ‘Rebasing, Redefining, and the Weather’s Toll on the Pot’, which revealed that the national average cost of cooking a standard pot of jollof rice climbed from N25,798 in July 2025 to N29,578 in June 2026, representing a 14.6 per cent increase within 12 months. The report, which marked the second decade of the Jollof Index, also introduced a rebased methodology reflecting how Nigerians now actually cook, replacing turkey with chicken as the standard protein and adopting more precise ingredient measurements to better capture the realities of household consumption. According to SBM Intelligence, the rebasing does not merely change the statistical baseline but paints a more realistic picture of the country’s worsening food affordability crisis. “The long-term trajectory is stark,” the report stated, noting that every geopolitical zone has experienced food cost increases exceeding 400 per cent since the index began tracking prices across Nigeria. The Southwest recorded the steepest increase of 708.2 per cent, followed by the Northcentral at 567.3 per cent, South-South 489.9 per cent, Northeast 467.5 per cent, Southeast 441.3 per cent, and Northwest 428 per cent. SBM observed that although Nigeria’s headline inflation has shown signs of easing, food inflation remains stubborn because the underlying drivers extend beyond monetary policy. It identified insecurity in farming communities, deteriorating logistics, poor road infrastructure, climate-induced flooding, volatile exchange rates, transport costs and rising protein prices as the principal factors behind escalating food prices. The report further noted that protein continues to account for the largest share of the cost of preparing jollof rice, making meat increasingly unaffordable for average households. One of the report’s most striking findings was the growing disparity between food prices across Nigerian cities. It revealed that the gap between the country’s cheapest and most expensive markets has widened significantly, underscoring increasing fragmentation in Nigeria’s food distribution network. Calabar Municipal emerged as Nigeria’s most expensive market for cooking jollof rice at N34,750, while Awka remained the cheapest at N22,050, leaving a price difference of N12,700 between both cities. Lagos recorded the sharpest increase nationwide. According to the report, the Trade Fair and Balogun markets experienced a 49.6 per cent rise within one year, climbing from N23,200 in July 2025 to N34,700 by June 2026. SBM attributed the spike to Lagos’ role as Nigeria’s import gateway, where imported food ingredients, shipping costs, currency depreciation and rising fuel prices combine to exert upward pressure on food prices. The report also linked the March 2026 fuel shock arising from tensions surrounding the Iran conflict to sharp monthly increases in Lagos food prices. While Lagos experienced dramatic increases, other regions recorded mixed outcomes. Bauchi, once Nigeria’s most inflationary food market, witnessed a 16.7 per cent decline over the review period after improved harvests and better supply routes moderated prices. Nevertheless, SBM cautioned that the decline represents only relative relief, as prices remain significantly higher than historical levels. Kano recorded a comparatively modest increase of 5.3 per cent, while Awka and Onitsha remained Nigeria’s least expensive markets despite modest price increases. The report devoted considerable attention to climate change, describing heavy rainfall as an increasingly powerful driver of food inflation. According to SBM, flooding, delayed harvests, damaged farmlands, washed-out roads and rising transportation costs combined to create shortages of tomatoes, peppers and other highly perishable food items across virtually every region of the country. The report found that Lagos consumers have increasingly substituted fresh tomatoes with carrot-based sauces, dried pepper and tomato paste, while households in Calabar, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano and Abuja have similarl
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
