Nigeria’s Food Import Bill Hits N3.30tn in H1 2026 Despite Annual Decline

Kate Roland

Import spending jumps to N1.91tn in Q2 as household food imports surge

Nigeria’s spending on food and beverage imports climbed significantly in the second quarter of 2026, reaching N1.91 trillion and pushing the country’s total import bill for the first six months of the year to N3.30 trillion.

The latest figures, contained in the Q1 and Q2 2026 Foreign Trade Statistics reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), highlight the continued importance of imported food and beverages to Nigeria’s external trade and food supply.

An analysis of the NBS data by Nairametrics showed that the country spent N1.39 trillion on food and beverage imports in the first quarter before expenditure rose by about N520 billion in the second quarter.

Despite the sharp quarterly increase, total spending in the first half of 2026 was slightly lower than the corresponding period of 2025. Nigeria spent N3.40 trillion on food and beverage imports in H1 2025, meaning the 2026 figure represents a 3.1 per cent decline.

In the first half of 2025, food and beverage imports amounted to N1.67 trillion in the first quarter and N1.73 trillion in the second quarter.

Processed food dominates import spending

The NBS breakdown shows that processed food and beverage products accounted for the largest share of Nigeria’s import expenditure during the first half of 2026.

Processed food and beverage imports were valued at N1.72 trillion between January and June, increasing from N758.52 billion in the first quarter to N956.67 billion in the second quarter.

Within the category, processed products mainly intended for household consumption accounted for N934.78 billion, while processed products mainly used by industries stood at N780.42 billion.

The figures indicate that both direct household consumption and industrial demand contributed substantially to Nigeria’s reliance on imported processed food and beverage products.

Primary food and beverage imports, meanwhile, stood at N1.58 trillion during the six-month period. Expenditure on these products rose from N634.05 billion in Q1 to N948.42 billion in Q2.

Primary products mainly intended for household consumption accounted for N811.93 billion. Spending on this category increased sharply from N280.81 billion in the first quarter to N531.12 billion in the second.

Primary products mainly used by industries recorded N770.54 billion, comprising N353.24 billion in Q1 and N417.31 billion in Q2.

The second-quarter increase was therefore broad-based, affecting both primary and processed food products. However, imports intended primarily for household consumption recorded some of the strongest growth during the period.

Food import bill remains a major concern

The latest data comes against the backdrop of a much larger annual increase in Nigeria’s food and beverage import expenditure.

Earlier NBS data showed that the country spent N7.65 trillion on food and beverage imports in 2025, up substantially from N6.58 trillion in 2024.

Food and beverage import expenditure stood at N3.83 trillion in 2023 and N2.86 trillion in 2022, illustrating the substantial increase in the naira value of food imports over the past several years.

The rise in import expenditure does not necessarily mean that import volumes increased by the same proportion. The naira value of imports can be influenced by several factors, including the quantity of goods imported, international commodity prices and movements in the exchange rate.

Nevertheless, the sustained size of the import bill underscores Nigeria’s dependence on foreign supplies for a range of food and beverage products.

Food security pressure persists

The import figures are emerging at a time when food affordability and access remain major concerns for households across the country.

Nigeria continues to face food-security challenges linked to insecurity, high production costs, inadequate storage and processing infrastructure, logistics constraints and post-harvest losses.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that about 34.7 million Nigerians could face severe food insecurity during the next lean season, underscoring the pressure on household access to adequate food.

The warning has intensified calls for greater investment in domestic agriculture and for policies capable of increasing local production while reducing losses between farms and consumers.

Beyond boosting farm output, experts and stakeholders have increasingly stressed the importance of storage facilities, food processing, transportation and distribution networks. Without improvements across the agricultural value chain, higher production may not necessarily translate into lower prices or improved food availability.

Government pushes new agricultural varieties

The Federal Government has also continued to announce measures aimed at increasing domestic food production and strengthening food security.

In March, Nairametrics reported that the government had introduced a new chicken breed alongside 57 crop varieties as part of efforts to boost food production, improve food security and enhance Nigerians’ nutritional well-being.

The initiative is part of broader efforts to increase agricultural productivity and improve the availability of locally produced food.

However, challenges remain particularly acute for smallholder farmers, who account for a significant portion of agricultural activity in the country.

Earlier reports indicated that Nigeria could face a severe food crisis in 2026 as rising production costs, insecurity and post-harvest losses force some farmers, particularly in the North-Central and North-West regions, to abandon farming.

Farmers have subsequently called on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, as well as state governments, to place greater emphasis on smallholder farmers in their 2026 budgetary plans.

With food imports still running into trillions of naira, the challenge for policymakers is increasingly twofold: ensuring that Nigerians have access to affordable food in the short term while creating the conditions necessary for domestic agriculture and food processing to meet a larger share of national demand over the long term.