A big sack of onions now sells for ₦350,000 at Mile 12 International Market in Lagos, up from ₦130,000 in August, a 169.2% increase, according to a market survey published by Vanguard on October 23, 2026. The same sack sold for ₦150,000 in early September and ₦250,000 at the end of the month.
Growers Report Heavy Losses
The National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN) said prices have climbed from ₦25,000 to ₦30,000 per 120kg bag in March and April to about ₦300,000. The association's National President, Aliyu Maitassamu Isah, said growers "lost more than 51% from the month of April to October," Vanguard reported.
NOPPMAN estimated losses from the 2024 seed crisis at nearly ₦100 billion and called a grant of about ₦2 billion inadequate. It expects new supply from Sokoto in November and December, from Aliero in Kebbi State in late December and January, and from the main harvest in March and April 2027.
Prices rose sharply over just a few days earlier this month. Dry-season onions rose from ₦105,000 to ₦130,000 per 70kg bag between October 5 and October 9, 2026, a 23.8% increase, while wet-season onions rose from ₦75,000 to ₦95,000, a 26.7% increase, Business A.M. reported.
Tomatoes Up, Pepper and Yam Down
At Mile 12, a big basket of tomatoes sold for ₦70,000 in October, up from ₦60,000 at the end of September, a 16.7% increase, according to Vanguard. At the farm gate, a crate of tomatoes fell to ₦16,000 to ₦17,000 from ₦20,000 the previous week.
Sani Danladi Yadakwari, National Secretary of the National Tomato Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NATPAN), said many growers held back after a poor year. "Some people lost as much as 100 per cent of their investment," he said.
Other staples moved the other way. A small bag of pepper fell to ₦12,000 from ₦40,000 in August, a 70% drop, and a tuber of yam fell to ₦4,000 from ₦7,000 in August, a 42.9% drop, as the new yam harvest arrived, Vanguard's survey found. Beans sold for ₦6,000 to ₦7,000, while rice, palm oil, horse mackerel and guinea corn were unchanged.
Official Data Shows a Mixed Picture
National Bureau of Statistics figures show food inflation at 19.59% year on year in September 2026, against 19.57% in August, while the food index fell 1.55% month on month, Vanguard reported.
FoodPrices Nigeria tracks onions, tomatoes, pepper and yam at Mile 12 Market and 15 other Lagos markets. Its captures will show whether the expected Sokoto and Kebbi onion harvests bring relief before the end of the year.
Editor Notes (do not publish): All Mile 12 prices here are Vanguard's own survey, not FoodPrices Nigeria data; please check them against the platform's latest Mile 12 captures before publishing, and flag any large gap. Vanguard's "big sack" and NOPPMAN's "120kg bag" may not be the same unit, so I kept the two series separate. The Business A.M. figures do not name a market and use a 70kg bag, so I did not compare them with Mile 12 prices. Percentages are my own calculations from the reported prices.