A big sack of fresh onions sells for ₦350,000 at Mile 12 International Market in Lagos, up from ₦130,000 in August, a 169.2% increase, Vanguard reported on October 23, 2026. Traders at the market said the same sack cost ₦150,000 in early September and ₦250,000 at the end of the month.
The rise comes even as official data shows food prices easing. The National Bureau of Statistics said the food index fell 1.55% month on month in September 2026, though annual food inflation edged up to 19.59% from 19.57% in August, the same report noted.
Onion Growers Report Heavy Losses
Aliyu Maitassamu Isah, National President of the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, said the shortage stems from storage losses rather than low output. "It's not that we did not produce enough for the country, but we lost more than 51% from the month of April to October," he told Vanguard.
Tomato prices at Mile 12 have also moved up. A big basket sold for ₦70,000 in October, up from ₦60,000 at the end of September, a 16.7% rise, though below the ₦65,000 to ₦80,000 range seen in August. Sani Danladi Yadakwari, National Secretary of the National Tomato Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, told Vanguard: "Farmers did not produce up to how they used to produce because of last year's experience of poor market price."
Enugu Markets Show the Same Pattern
In Enugu, a big bag of onions now sells for ₦272,000 to ₦280,000, against ₦170,000 to ₦185,000 in September, a News Agency of Nigeria market survey found, Premium Times reported on October 22, 2026. A big basket of tomatoes costs ₦60,000 to ₦68,000, up from ₦45,000 to ₦50,000 in August and September.
Ibekaku Orji, an onion seller at New Garki Market, blamed bad roads, higher transport fares from the north and insecurity. Ekwutosi Iyi, a tomato seller at New Akwata Market, said the UTC variety from Jos was still "scarce and expensive." Chinasa Ugwunze, a buyer at Mayor Market, said tomato prices usually fall toward the end of the year but are rising this time, and urged the government to build storage for perishable goods.
Pepper and Yam Move the Other Way
Not every item is climbing. At Mile 12, a small bag of fresh pepper fell to ₦12,000 from ₦40,000 in August, a 70% decline, and a tuber of yam dropped to ₦4,000 from ₦7,000, a 42.9% fall, according to Vanguard. Prices of rice, palm oil and guinea corn were unchanged.
At farm gate, a crate of tomatoes sold for ₦16,000 to ₦17,000, down from ₦20,000 the previous week, the tomato growers' association said.
FoodPrices Nigeria tracks onions, tomatoes, pepper and yam across Lagos markets, including Mile 12. Its captures show how storage losses and transport costs feed through to what Lagos households pay.