Awka, the capital city of Anambra State is the cheapest place to prepare a pot of Jollof rice for a family of six, according to a recent October 2020 Jollof index report.
The index report done by SBM Intelligence, an Africa focused geopolitical research and strategic communications consulting firm stated that across the 13 markets that were surveyed in Nigeria, a pot of Jollof rice for a family of six is cheapest in Awka costing N5, 620 and most expensive in Wuse II, Abuja costing N9, 600.
“Perhaps the reason behind this is that operational costs are more for the former than for the latter. Furthermore, people in Awka are more easily able to substitute buying some of the commodities with products from their subsistence agriculture,” the report stated.
The SBM Jollof index is a composite index that tracks the prices of the main ingredients used to prepare a pot, one of Nigeria’s primary delicacies – Jollof rice. This meal was chosen because it is a delicacy in every part country.
The Jollof meal, a mixture of rice, tomatoes and spices, is practically a national dish in Nigeria and one meal that is enjoyed in every part of the country. While the Jollof index has treaded close to food inflation since collection began, it has provided a simple way of communicating the realities of inflation to the Nigerian public.
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The commodities that make up the index are rice, groundnut oil, chicken or turkey, beef, seasoning, pepper, tomatoes, salt and onions.
In all the states survey, there has been a significant increase in the cost of making Jollof rice since the last report. On the average, the of the cost of making Jollof rice in the country has increased by 75.4 percent in the last four years to N7,167 in September 2020 from N4,087 in July 2016.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s food inflation rose by 16.7 percent in September 2020, the highest in almost three years.
Also, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to the loss of jobs and declining incomes has forced consumers to seek loans to feed. Last month, the NBS reported that 51.3 percent of Nigerians had to borrow in order to buy food since March 2020. In the same report, 68 percent of households in Nigeria were experiencing food insecurity in August 2020.
