The National Bureau of Statistics has disclosed that the average price of a 50-kilogram bag of locally produced rice rose by 20.5 per cent in March 2026 to N112,000.
The bureau revealed this in its Selected Food Price Watch report for March 2026 released on Wednesday.
According to the report, the commodity sold for an average of N92,946 in February before climbing sharply within one month.
The report also showed that the average price of a 50kg bag of foreign rice increased by 3.06 per cent to N133,975 in March from N110,589 recorded in February.
Despite the figures released by the bureau, market checks indicated that some brands of local short-grain rice were sold for an average of N60,000 in certain locations amid fluctuating food prices nationwide.
The statistics agency further noted that several staple food items recorded moderate increases during the review period.
It stated that the average price of a crate of 30 eggs rose by two per cent in March compared to the previous month.
Similarly, the average price of one kilogram of brown beans increased to N1,325.85 from N1,307.44 recorded in February.
The bureau also reported that the average price of loose white garri rose by 1.38 per cent to N801.54 per kilogram during the period under review.
In the same vein, the average price of onion bulbs climbed by 1.59 per cent to N1,153.14 per kilogram, while fresh ginger recorded a 0.61 per cent increase to N5,541.25 per kilogram.
A breakdown of the state-by-state analysis showed that Taraba State recorded the highest average price for a crate of eggs at N6,999, while Niger State posted the lowest price at N5,610.04.
For brown beans, Oyo State recorded the highest average price at N1,937.20 per kilogram, while Taraba State had the lowest at N745.
The report further revealed that Abia State recorded the highest average price for white garri at N1,075.45 per kilogram, while Plateau State had the lowest at N513.78.
In the case of onions, Abia State recorded the highest average price at N2,115.67 per kilogram, while Kwara State posted the lowest price at N829.90.