Nigeria’s food inflation 2025: How much does it cost to cook jollof rice?
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If you’ve recently gone to the market to buy ingredients for jollof rice, you’ll know say inflation no dey play. What used to be a normal pot of jollof for family and friends now feels like you need extra pocket money. The cost of cooking jollof rice in Nigeria 2025 has shot up so much that many are asking: “How did we arrive here?”
This post will break down verified numbers, show how inflation across food items is pushing up the cost, compare regional differences, explore how Nigerians are managing, and suggest what might ease the burden. If you love jollof—and want to still enjoy it without breaking bank—this one na for you.
👉 Related: Nigeria News and Gossip: The Untold Stories Shaping 2025
Inflation, Food Prices & the Jollof Index: What We Know
To understand the cost of cooking jollof rice in Nigeria 2025, we need to see the bigger picture of food inflation and how that’s being measured.
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Food inflation rate in Nigeria has been consistently high. In July 2025, year-on-year food inflation was about 22.74%, dropping from even higher months, but still painful for many households.
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The Jollof Index is a tool developed by SBM Intelligence that tracks the cost of ingredients (rice, tomatoes, onions, pepper, protein like chicken/turkey, seasoning, oil) needed to cook a standard pot of jollof rice in various markets across Nigeria.
Key recent findings:
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As of June 2025, the national average cost to cook a pot of jollof rice rose by 153% compared to March 2023, to about ₦27,528.
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In some places, the cost is much higher: Bauchi State for example saw average cost reach about ₦41,050 for a pot of jollof rice as of June 2025.
So when people talk about inflation, this kind of sharp rise in a beloved staple shows exactly how deep the impact goes.
What’s Driving the Inflation Behind Cooking Jollof Rice
Several factors are pushing the cost of cooking jollof rice in Nigeria 2025 to these heights. The mix is economic, geographic, social, and practical.
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Currency Devaluation & Foreign Exchange Policy
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Because Nigeria depends on imports for some ingredients (rice, and certain seasonings or oil), the naira’s weakening makes import costs higher.
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This also raises the price of fertilizer, fuel and other inputs—making local production more expensive.
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Removal of Fuel Subsidy & Rising Transportation Costs
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When fuel becomes more expensive, moving goods (rice bags, onions, pepper) from farms to markets costs more.
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This cost is passed onto consumers, especially for things like locally produced tomatoes or vegetables that spoil in transit.
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Insecurity & Supply Disruptions
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Banditry, attacks, and General insecurity in some farming areas restrict production or transport, reducing supply.
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Displacement of farmers or disruption of harvest seasons also raise scarcity.
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High Costs of Protein & Vegetables
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Meat (chicken, turkey, beef) has increased in price quite sharply. In many cases, households skip protein or substitute cheaper alternatives.
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Vegetables like onions, tomatoes, and peppers often spoil quickly, so losses raise market price.
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Market Inefficiencies & Logistics Issues
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Poor infrastructure: bad roads, storage challenges (no cold storage, spoilage), multiple middlemen.
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Checkpoints, unofficial levies, added transport delays all add cost.
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Inflationary Expectations & Demand Pressure
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With many people expecting prices to rise, they may buy in bulk or ahead, further stressing supply.
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Urban demand is often higher, pushing up prices in cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt.
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Regional Differences: Who’s Paying More?
The cost of cooking jollof rice in Nigeria 2025 isn’t uniform. Depending where you are, you might pay way more or slightly less.
| Region / City | Approx Cost of Jollof Pot (Family Size ~5) | Key Drivers of High Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bauchi | ~ ₦41,050 (June 2025) | Insecurity, high transport cost, inflated prices of pepper & onion |
| Abuja (Wuse, Nyanya) | > ₦33,000 in many markets | Urban demand, logistics, storage, import dependencies |
| Lagos (Balogun, Trade Fair markets) | ~ ₦23,000+ in those big urban markets | Traffic, transport delays, middlemen, cost of perishables |
| National Average | ~ ₦27,500 – ₦28,000 depending on market (June 2025) | Combined pressures: national inflation, currency issues, fuel & transport hikes etc. |
So if you dey Bauchi, you go need almost double what someone in Lagos might pay, depending on the market.
Comparing Over Time: How Fast Have Prices Risen?
To get the scale of inflation, consider how long this surge took and what baseline was:
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In July 2016, national average cost of cooking a pot of jollof rice was about ₦4,087. By June 2025, it was ~ ₦28,000. That’s roughly a 7-fold increase over nine years.
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From March 2023 (~₦10,800 on average) to June 2025 (~₦27,500), that’s a ~150–160% increase in just over two years.
So inflation isn’t creeping up slowly—it’s accelerating, especially for staple combinations like jollof rice.
ALSO READ: BBNaija All-Stars 2025: Shocking evictions and Twitter reactions
How Households Are Coping
With rising cost of cooking jollof rice in Nigeria 2025, Nigerians are adapting in various ways. Some creative, some forced.
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Reducing Protein or Skipping It
Many households now cook jollof without chicken/turkey or with smaller portions because meat has become too costly. Sometimes protein is removed completely. -
Using Cheaper Ingredient Alternatives
Instead of fresh tomatoes, some use canned or processed ones. Smaller pepper, or less pepper. Swapping beef for cheaper fish or leaving out meat. -
Bulk Buying & Storage
Buying staples in larger quantities when price dips. But this is risky because storage (especially for perishables) is hard. -
Portion Control
Smaller portions. Cooking less frequently. Stretching leftovers. -
Changing Consumption Patterns
Some people cook jollof less often now—maybe once a week instead of daily. Or reserve jollof for special occasions rather than everyday meals. -
Urban vs Rural Impact Differences
Rural communities sometimes grow their own vegetables, but if insecurity or transport prevents market access, even rural people face shortages. Urban residents more exposed to market price swings.
Why Jollof Rice Matters More Than Just Feeding
Jollof rice isn’t simply a dish. For many Nigerians:
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It’s culture, identity, part of celebrations, parties, everyday gatherings.
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It is a measure of affordability: When jollof becomes expensive, people feel the pinch deeply.
So the inflation in jollof cost becomes symbolic of how food inflation affects dignity, social life, mental stress.
Official Data & Stat Trends
Here are the broader official data and trends related to inflation that factor into the cost of cooking jollof rice in Nigeria 2025:
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Nigeria’s food inflation was about 22.74% year-on-year in July 2025, much lower than the 30-40% highs but still high.
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Earlier months saw food inflation over 30-40% in some places, depending on commodity. The base year adjustments by NBS have influenced measured inflation rates.
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Rice production for 2024-25 is expected to fall by ~ 7.2% due to insecurity in rice-growing regions, insufficient mechanization, high input costs (fertiliser, seed, fuel). That means supply drops even as demand stays.
What Might Ease the Burden: Possible Solutions & Interventions
To tame the high cost of cooking jollof rice in Nigeria 2025, multiple stakeholders need to act. Both government, private sector, and communities have roles.
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Stabilizing the Currency & FX Policy
If naira stability improves, import costs drop; this helps reduce cost of rice, oil, seasoning etc. -
Subsidies or Support for Key Inputs
Fertilizer, fuel, transport subsidies targeted to food supply chain. -
Improving Local Rice Production
Invest in rice farms, mechanization, better irrigation; reduce dependence on imports. -
Strengthening Market Infrastructure & Transportation
Better roads, cold storage, reducing spoilage; more efficient transport routes, fewer delays. -
Regulatory Oversight & Market Price Monitoring
Probing middlemen or artificially inflated price components; cap exploitative pricing when possible. -
Social Safety Nets & Cash Transfers
For low-income households, food vouchers or targeted subsidies can help offset especially tough periods. -
Encouraging Local Alternatives & Recipes
Use of local grains, beans, cheaper protein alternatives; community gardens for vegetables.
Social Reactions: What Nigerians Are Saying
As usual, social media no dey disappoint. With jollof rice now costing what it does, folks are speaking up.
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Twitter & X are flooded with lines like: “Na jollof don dey cause wahala for my pocket.”
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Memes: comparing old-price vs new-price in funny ways; exposing how small meat portion is now compared to past.
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Local market stories: “I go use fish instead of chicken, or maybe no meat at all” — many mothers complain.
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Conversations about politicians and promises: “When dem promise food price control, na jollof pot I dey look.”
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Urban vs rural: those in cities lament more because they buy almost everything; rural dwellers sometimes wait for harvest but insecurity or spoilage still affects them.
If you want even more context on what’s driving these inflation trends and how they fit into broader national stories, check:
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Nigeria News and Gossip: The Untold Stories Shaping 2025 — deeper dive into economic policy, rural challenges, and how inflation is hitting ordinary Naija life.
https://www.naijascene.com/2025/09/nigeria-news-and-gossip-untold-stories.html -
Nigerian news and gossip: Latest updates — frequently updated stories on inflation, food prices, government interventions, and social reactions.
https://www.naijascene.com/2025/08/nigerian-news-and-gossip-latest-updates.html
What It Means for Families & Everyday Naija Life
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Shrinking Food Budgets: If your income stays same, food takes a larger share of spending. Many households now spend more on food than rent or transport.
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Health & Nutrition Risks: Skipping protein means poorer diet; reliance on starchy staples may increase malnutrition, particularly among children.
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Social Strain: Once-normal things like inviting guests, cooking for extended family become tough. Celebrations get scaled down.
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Mental Stress: The worry of “can I still cook jollof this weekend?” becomes real. People feel shame, frustration, powerlessness.
Conclusion
The cost of cooking jollof rice in Nigeria 2025 has become a symbol of how inflation is touching bedrock of Nigerian life. What used to be comfort food is now a serious stretch for many. But in this struggle, we also see resilience: households adjusting, communities sharing, voices rising demanding better policy and relief.
What do you think? How much did you last pay for a pot of jollof rice in your area? Are you finding ways to reduce cost or change ingredients? Drop your thoughts in the comments, share your own jollof-inflation stories, and share this post so more people see how inflation is affecting everyday Naija life.
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