ers, Market Data
Content: Two of the most important staples on Lagos tables got cheaper last week. In the week of 18 September 2026, medium yam fell 7.3% to a mean of ₦2,410 a tuber across 10 Lagos markets, FoodPrices Nigeria's Lagos market data shows. The figures are drawn from the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems price tracker, the most recent week the Ministry has published.
Yam Posts a Sharp Weekly Fall
A 7.3% move in a single week is large for a tuber that households buy in quantity, and it matched the week's 7.4% fall in Pepper (Rodo) almost point for point. For a family that buys yam several times a week, the saving compounds quickly.
The national picture points in the same direction. The National Bureau of Statistics listed yam flour and water yam among the items whose average price changes pulled food inflation down in August, as Nairametrics reported.
Garri Edges Down on Both Varieties
Garri (White) fell 2.2% on the week and Garri (Yellow) fell 2.1%, both measured as means across 10 Lagos markets. The two varieties moved almost in step, a gap of just 0.1 percentage points, which suggests the easing reflects cassava supply rather than a shift in demand between white and yellow.
That reading fits the official data. NBS named cassava flour among the items driving August's slowdown, according to Nairametrics. Garri and cassava flour share the same raw material, so pressure on one tends to show in the other.
Fallers Outnumber Risers for a Second Week
The yam and garri declines are part of a broader pattern across Lagos markets. In the week of 18 September, FoodPrices Nigeria's survey covered 3,672 market-level prices and recorded 164 falls against 131 rises, or 1.25 falls for every rise. The week before, ending 11 September, the count was 177 falls against 130 rises, or 1.36 falls for every rise.
Two consecutive weeks with fallers ahead is an independent, market-level check on the direction of food prices in Lagos. The same data also shows how stable most prices are. Of the 3,672 prices captured in the latest week, 3,377, or 92.0%, did not move at all. Only 4.5% fell and 3.6% rose. The easing is real, but it is happening at the margin rather than across the board.
What to Watch
The next Ministry release will show whether yam's 7.3% fall holds or reverses, and whether garri continues its slow drift down. With fallers outnumbering risers for two weeks running, the direction in Lagos is currently lower, but the balance is narrow enough that a single week of rising transport costs could tip it.
Live prices: foodprices.ng/real-time-prices/?category=Tubers