Food and beverage imports increased to ₦677.3bn in the first half of 2025, a 44.48 per cent rise from ₦468.76bn in the same period of 2024, prompting renewed calls for stronger government support to boost local industry capacity and reduce dependency on imports.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that while the value of primary food and beverage imports mainly for household consumption surged, the value of processed food and beverages consumed by households recorded a marginal 1.85 per cent decline, falling from ₦699.58bn in the first half of 2024 to ₦686.81bn in the same period of 2025.
Meanwhile, primary food and beverage imports mainly for industrial use grew by 1.37 per cent from ₦969.22bn to ₦982.49bn, while processed imports for industrial use rose by 7.28 per cent from ₦984.16bn to ₦1.06tn within the same period.
Members of the Organised Private Sector linked the surge in food imports to weak local production, insecurity, inconsistent agricultural policies, and consumer preference for imported products perceived to have better quality and availability.
The Chairman of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Agricultural and Allied Group, Tunde Banjoko, said the figures reflected a lack of trust in locally produced raw materials and food items.
“From this data, one can infer that people trust the quality and integrity of imported raw materials, foodstuff, and beverages for household consumption more than what is produced locally,” he said.
Banjoko noted that factors such as price competitiveness, quality control, and availability played major roles in influencing consumer preferences. He added that inadequate funding, poor-quality seedlings, misuse of chemicals, and weak production processes continued to affect overall output.
He further stated that poor storage systems and ineffective commodity boards had worsened the situation, leading to seasonal shortages of local produce.
Banjoko advised the Federal Government to create stronger funding mechanisms for agribusinesses and establish commodity boards to guarantee offtake and stabilise supply.
“We need to get proper storage facilities and make them available. Commodity boards should guarantee offtake so that products can be stored properly and supplied to the market when needed,” he said.
He emphasised that the government must act to make agribusinesses scalable and attractive for local producers to compete effectively, adding that with the right policies, the rising import figures would begin to drop and ease pressure on foreign exchange.