Experts Warn: Without Storage, Security & Price Control, Nigeria’s Food Price Relief Won’t Last

By TINA TOLUTOPE

FOR the first time in months, Nigerians from Anambra to Enugu and Ebonyi are walking into markets with a sense of relief. Prices of staples—rice, beans, garri, yam, vegetables—have dropped sharply, thanks largely to the harvest season.

But behind the temporary ease lies a deeper concern: Can Nigeria sustain this price crash, or is the relief only seasonal?

Agricultural experts across the Southeast say the answer depends on whether government is willing to fix long-standing structural problems—poor storage, weak agro-processing capacity, insecurity, and unstable market systems.

A Fragile Relief: Why Food Prices Are Falling—For Now

Market surveys across the region show massive price drops:

• Garri: ₦60,000 → ₦35,000–₦40,000

• Tomatoes: ₦80,000 → ₦40,000–₦45,000

• Beans (paint): ₦8,000 → ₦4,000

• Local rice (50kg): ₦70,000 → ₦38,000–₦40,000

• Potatoes: ₦13,000 → ₦7,000–ₑ8,000

• Pumpkin leaf: ₦2,000 → ₦1,600

Consumers are grateful. Traders acknowledge that high supply from farms has helped. But nearly all stakeholders repeatedly give the same warning: the decline is temporary.

In a few weeks, as December’s festivities approach and the dry season tightens supply, prices could spike again.

The Real Problem: Nigeria Cannot Store What It Produces

Prof. Chiwuike Uba, an applied economist and former Lead Researcher at Afri-Heritage Institute, says Nigeria loses a significant percentage of its harvest every year because it cannot properly store, process, or preserve food.

“Without modern silos, cold chains and value-addition centres, Nigeria cannot stabilise prices,” he says. “We simply throw away what we produce.”

Uba argues that even the current price crash will mean little if food continues to rot in farms and warehouses. He believes stability will come only through:

• Building modern storage and preservation infrastructure

• Expanding agro-processing centres in major food belts

• Providing improved seedlings, tractors, and extension services

• Strengthening off-taker agreements so farmers have guaranteed buyers

He also warns that insecurity remains a crippling threat: “Farmers abandoning their land is the fastest route to food scarcity and price volatility.”

Farmers, Traders and Consumers: All Feeling the System’s Weaknesses

Across markets, the story is the same: people are relieved, but also wary.

“Prices will go up again soon,”

says Mrs. Chinonye Aforka, a trader in Awka. “By January or February, expect another rise.”

Consumers are buying more—but cautiously.

Civil servant Gerald Ochiudo says falling prices help him buy in bulk, but urges the Federal Government to introduce some form of price regulation to prevent sudden increases by traders.

Youth training and modern farming techniques are still lacking.

At Garki market, foodstuff seller Helen Uzochukwu calls for more agricultural education and youth-focused programmes to boost participation in farming communities.

Storage, Roads, Security—The Missing Links

Agricultural economist Dr. Nkechi Igwe echoes the same structural concerns:

“The harvest-driven reductions are temporary. Without enough storage facilities and good rural roads, we will be right back where we started.”

She also emphasises subsidised inputs, security for farmers, and improved logistics as essential steps to stabilising prices year-round.

Ebonyi’s Story: Lower Prices, but High Living Costs

Ebonyi markets show steep price drops, but economists say food inflation is still a threat.

Mr. Stephen Nwaojiji links price instability to:

• Supply chain disruptions

• Climate change

• Double taxation

• Market unionism

• Poor infrastructure

He argues that until government establishes real price controls and tackles illegal levies, food insecurity will persist.

Another expert, Mrs. Nkechi Azu, calls the recent price drop “a relief, but not a solution.” High transportation costs and inflation for non-food items still push households to the brink.

Security: The Silent Factor Shaping Food Prices

Mrs. Georgina Akunyuba of the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation warns that insecurity remains the biggest obstacle:

“Farmers are abandoning their land. Without security, nothing else works.”

Across the region, farmers echo the same sentiment: returning to their farms requires safety first.

The Editorial Question: Will Government Finally Act?

The harvest season has given Nigeria a short-lived window of relief—but sustaining it will require more than rain-fed abundance.

Experts insist on urgent, long-term investments in:

• Storage and processing infrastructure

• Affordable credit for farmers

• Security in rural communities

• Transport and market link roads

• Input subsidies and extension services

• Price regulation and monitoring mechanisms

The price crash has proven one thing: Nigeria can produce enough food—when conditions are right.

The real test is whether the government can build a system that keeps food affordable even after the harvest is over.

For millions of Nigerians still struggling to feed their families, that is the difference between temporary relief and lasting food security.