Nigeria consuming more wheat, corn, rice and sorghum

A report by the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service anticipates a rise in the consumption of corn, wheat, rice, and sorghum in Nigeria by 2025-26. This expected increase is due to factors such as the appreciation of the naira, slowed food price inflation, and macroeconomic stabilization. Wheat consumption is projected to rise by 10% to 5.6 million tonnes, with bread being a staple food for many Nigerians. Corn consumption is also expected to increase by 9% to 12.2 million tonnes, due to higher production and import levels. However, rice production is predicted to decrease by 5% to 7.9 million tonnes, leading to a 16% increase in imports. Sorghum consumption is expected to grow by 7% to 7.2 million tonnes, despite a predicted 6% decrease in production, due to its use as an alternative to corn in animal feed and by manufacturers.

Corn, wheat, rice and sorghum consumption in Nigeria is expected to increase in 2025-26, driven by appreciation of the naira, slowing food price inflation and macroeconomic stabilization, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture. Wheat consumption is expected to increase 10% to 5.6 million tonnes. About 70% of the wheat flour produced is used to make bread, with the rest used in other wheat-based food like cakes, biscuits and other pastries. Bread demand has remained steady despite price hikes in 2023-24 for Africa’s most populous country with about 228 million people. “In contrast to rice and other staples that are consumed with other ingredients, many consumers consider bread as a complete meal on its own,” the FAS said. “Consumers have adopted bread consumption as a coping mechanism due to challenging food price inflation.” Wheat production is estimated at 135,000 tonnes, about a 13% increase compared to the ...