Nigeria Spends N3.3 trillion on food imports as food security pressure mounts
Nigeria spent N3.30 trillion on food and beverage imports in the first half of 2026, with import expenditure rising sharply in the second quarter. The post Nigeria Spends N3.3 trillion on food imports as food security pressure mounts appeared first on Nairametrics .
Nigeria's food and beverage import bill surged to N3.30 trillion in the first half of 2026, according to Nairametrics' analysis of the National Bureau of Statistics' Foreign Trade Statistics reports. This represents a 3.1% decrease from the N3.40 trillion spent on similar imports during the same period in 2025. The rise in imports was observed in both primary food and beverage products, which stood at N1.58 trillion, and processed products, which accounted for N780.42 billion.
The increase in imports was fueled by a combination of higher import volumes, international price hikes and fluctuating exchange rates, making food imports a significant aspect of Nigeria's external trade. The rising import bill has raised concerns over food affordability and supply, with Nigeria grappling with food security challenges.
The government's introduction of a new chicken breed and 57 crop varieties in March aimed to address these issues, improve food production and enhance Nigerians' nutritional well-being. However, policymakers are now emphasizing the need for domestic production, storage, processing and distribution capacity to reduce Nigeria's dependence on imported food and strengthen food security.
Written by urgent.news from Nairametrics's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
