Janet Ogundepo
The average cost of a healthy diet for a Nigerian adult rose from N858 in January to N1,241 in June 2024, the June ‘Cost of Healthy Diet’ report produced by the National Bureau of Statistics and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition has shown.
The report further revealed that the CoHD increased by 45 per cent in the first six months of 2024, while the general inflation and food inflation rose to 33 and 40 per cent, respectively.
The NBS noted that the June figure was 19 per cent higher than N1,041 per adult per day reported in May 2024.
According to the World Bank, CoHD is the cost of purchasing the least expensive locally available foods to meet the requirement for energy and food-based dietary guidelines in current purchasing power parities.
“The main drivers of this increase in CoHD are Vegetables, Legumes, Nuts and Seeds, and Starchy Staples. Starchy Staples, on the other hand, saw the smallest increase in price month-on-month,” the report noted.
It further revealed that the South-West region had the highest CoHD, with Ekiti, Ogun and Osun States, recording N1,640, N1,599 and N1,557 respectively.
Meanwhile, the North West region accounted for the lowest costs with Katsina, Kano, and Jigawa recording N878, N926 and N937, respectively.
“At the Zonal level, the average CoHD was highest in the South West Zone at N1,545 per day, followed by the South-South Zone with N1,376 per day. The lowest average Cost of a Healthy diet was recorded in North West Zone with N956 per day,” it said.
While vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds witnessed a sharp price increase, starchy staples experienced the smallest price increase on a month-month basis.
“Fruits and vegetables were the most expensive food groups in terms of price per calorie; they accounted for 11 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively, of total CoHD while providing only 7 per cent and 5 per cent of total calories in the Healthy Diet Basket,” NBS reported.
It added that animal-source foods were the most expensive food group recommendation to meet in June, accounting for 35 per cent of the total CoHD to provide 13 per cent of the total calories.
The rising CoHD highlights the challenges households face in accessing sufficient, safe and nutritious food.
The United Nations had in July predicted that 82 million Nigerians may go hungry by 2030 due to the food crisis.
On Thursday, Nigerians across the country embarked on a 10-day demonstration to protest against the crippling economic crisis, including a 36 per cent food inflation.
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