By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Nigeria spent N7.65 trillion on food and beverage imports in 2025, yet hunger and malnutrition continue to worsen, highlighting a disconnect between food supply and access.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, this marks a steady increase from N6.58 trillion in 2024 and N3.83 trillion in 2023, underscoring the country’s growing reliance on imported food.
Despite this surge, the Food and Agriculture Organization reports that around 27.2 million Nigerians are currently food insecure.
Projections suggest this could rise to 34.7 million between June and August 2026 if urgent interventions are not implemented.
Experts say rising imports have not translated into better nutrition due to low incomes, high unemployment, inflation, and poor logistics.
Even when food is available, many households cannot afford it,” said Professor Beatrice Ogunba, a public health nutritionist at Obafemi Awolowo University. She added that much of the imported food is ultra-processed, nutrient-poor, and energy-dense, contributing to both obesity and nutrient deficiencies.
Economic analysts also cite high production and processing costs, transport challenges, and exchange rate depreciation as factors that push up the final price of imported food.
“Structural inefficiencies mean that import volumes do not automatically translate into affordability for households,” said Dr. Muda Yusuf, CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise.
Nutrition specialists warn that Nigeria faces a double burden of malnutrition: persistent undernutrition alongside rising rates of overweight and obesity. Experts call for increased local production of nutrient-dense foods, widespread nutrition education, and strengthened fortification programmes to ensure that food availability leads to better health outcomes.
The trend highlights the urgent need for policy interventions that improve both food access and diet quality, ensuring that rising imports contribute meaningfully to nutrition security rather than simply increasing supply.
