Effects of Price Inflation on Urban Households' Food Expenditure Patterns in Port Harcourt, South-South Nigeria: Insights on Food and Nutrition Security

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.sidebar##

Published Nov 30, 2025
https://doi.org/10.55043/jaast.v9i4.472
Download
PDF
Statistic
Vol. 9 No. 4 (2025): Journal of Applied Agricultural Science and Technology

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.main##

Michael Ige Ediabai Edaba
University of Africa
Emmanuel Akosim Ebele
Teesside University Business School

Abstract

Port Harcourt is the most economically vibrant city in Nigeria after Lagos, and it has an estimated population exceeding three million people. In recent years, food commodities, especially energy-rich foods, have continued to gain significant market value in the city. This study examined the effects of price inflation on food expenditure patterns in Port Harcourt, South-South Nigeria, against the backdrop of food and nutrition security. The study examined 265 urban households in the city, and special attention was given to common dietary food sources such as rice, yam, garri, noodles, beans, meat/fish, vegetables, and oils. The research used descriptive and inferential statistical models, including quartile, chi-square, multiple regression, and the Linear Approximate Almost Ideal Demand System models. Results of the analysis revealed that garri and rice were the most frequently consumed food products in the area. Similarly, the households spent a significant weekly share of their food budget (54 per cent) on energy-rich foods (rice, garri, yam, and noodles) compared to meat/fish (46 per percent) and vegetables (27 per cent). Furthermore, in the buildup to the regression analysis. The double-log functional form was selected as the lead equation with an R² of 93.68 per cent, with age (0.1893), household size (0.0512), income (0.0201), price of meat and fish (-0.0081), and consumer preference (0.0038) significantly influencing household expenditure on energy-rich foods. The Marshallian uncompensated own price elasticities for rice, garri, beans, and meat/fish were found to be -0.713, 0.374, -0.891, and -1.271, while the Hicksian cross price elasticities for yam and noodles as well as that of vegetables and oils were 0.062 and 0.163, respectively, implying that these commodities were inelastic and close substitutes. The elasticity estimates indicate that most food commodities are inelastic and exhibit substitution tendencies, particularly between vegetables and oils. Policymakers should therefore prioritize price stabilization, income enhancement, and food supply diversification to strengthen urban food and nutrition security.

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.details##

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Michael Ige Ediabai Edaba, University of Africa

Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension

How to Cite
1.
Edaba MIE, Ebele EA. Effects of Price Inflation on Urban Households’ Food Expenditure Patterns in Port Harcourt, South-South Nigeria: Insights on Food and Nutrition Security. J. appl. agricultural sci. technol. [Internet]. 2025Nov.30 [cited 2025Dec.1];9(4):605-22. Available from: https://www.jaast.org/index.php/jaast/article/view/472

References

  1. Behera BK, Rout PK, Behera S. World Hunger and Poverty. Move Towards Zero Hunger 2019;1:183-201. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337190325_World_Hunger_and_Poverty
  2. Kilic R. The Problem of Hunger in the World and A New Model Proposal to Solve This Problem. Balkan Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 2022;11:63–8. https://doi.org/10.55589/bsbd.1107538.
  3. Moseley WG, Battersby J. The vulnerability and resilience of African food systems, food security, and nutrition in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. African Studies Review 2020;63:449–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/asr.2020.72.
  4. Ogunniyi AI, Omotayo AO, Olagunju KO, Rufai MA, Salman KK,Omotayo OP. Evaluating the Role of Households’ Food Security Status and Socioeconomic Determinants on Child Mortality in Nigeria. Child Ind Res 2024;17:1687–714. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-024-10134-5.
  5. Adeyeye SAO, Adebayo-Oyetoro AO, Tiamiyu HK. Poverty and malnutrition in Africa: A conceptual analysis. Nutrition & Food Science 2017;47:754–64. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-02-2017-0027
  6. Mota AA, Lachore ST, Handiso YH. Assessment of food insecurity and its determinants in the rural households in Damot Gale Woreda, Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Agric Food Secur 2019;8:1–11. https://agricultureandfoodsecurity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40066-019-0254-0.
  7. McGuire S. FAO, IFAD, and WFP. The state of food insecurity in the world 2015: meeting the 2015 international hunger targets: taking stock of uneven progress. Advances in Nutrition 2015;6:623–4. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.009936.
  8. Edaba MIE, Aroyehun AR, Onyenma GC, Edaba FC. Consumption Estimates of Food Calories in Port Harcourt Households, South-South Nigeria: LA/AIDS approach. Black Sea Journal of Agriculture 2024;7:498–504. https://doi.org/10.55677/GJEFR/07-2025-Vol02E4.
  9. Kalu B. COVID-19 in Nigeria: A disease of hunger. Lancet Respir Med 2020;8:556–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2213-2600(20)30220-4.
  10. Olarewaju OA. Insecurity in northern Nigeria: Implications for maternal and child health. Clin Epidemiol Glob Health 2021;12:100869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cegh.2021.100869.
  11. Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations. Cadre Harmonisé report on State of Food and Agriculture in Nigeria. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome; 2025. https://www.fao.org/nigeria/news/detail-events/en/c/1720792/.
  12. Edaba MIE. The nexus between farm credit, gender equality and agricultural productivity: Evidence from Rural Arable Crop Farmers in South-South Nigeria. global journal of economics and finance 2025;2:223–31. https://doi.org/10.55677/GJEFR/07-2025-Vol02E4.
  13. Ben-Chendo GN, Nwosu FO, Nwaiwu IUO, Igwe SM. Estimation of rural households’ demand for selected staple foods in Enugu State. Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences 2018;16:91–106. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/jafs/article/view/187949.
  14. National Bureau of Statistics. Foreign Trade Report Q4; 2022. https://nigerianstat.gov.ng.
  15. National Bureau of Statistics. Foreign Trade Report Q4 2024; 2024. https://nigerianstat.gov.ng.
  16. Aroyehun AR, Edaba MIE. Effects of International Market Dynamics on Food Prices and Volatilities: A Panel Analysis of Rice and Beef in Nigeria. European Journal of Business and Management 2025;17:8–18. https://doi.org/10.7176/EJBM/17-5-02.
  17. Mekonnen DA, Trijsburg L, Achterbosch T, Brouwer ID, Kennedy G, Linderhof V, et al. Food consumption patterns, nutrient adequacy, and the food systems in Nigeria. Agricultural and Food Economics 2021;9:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-021-00188-2.
  18. Adeyonu AG, Shittu AM, Kehinde MO, Adekunle CP. Farm Households’ Demand Response to Escalating Food Prices in Nigeria. J Appl Econ 2021;24:555–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/15140326.2021.1980351.
  19. Wodon Q, Zaman H. Rising Food Prices in Sub-Saharan Africa: Poverty Impact and Policy Responses. 2008. https://ideas.repec.org/p/wbk/wbrwps/4738.html.
  20. Akande AA, Oghenetega O. An Empirical Investigation of Food Security Status in Urban Households in Niger-Delta, Nigeria. The International Journal of Business & Management, 2022;10:190–213. https//doi.org/10.24940/theijbm/2022/v10/i2/BM2202-040.
  21. FAO, WHO. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021. Transforming Food Systems for Food Security, Improved Nutrition and Affordable Healthy Diets for all. Rome; 2021. https://www.fao.org/publications/fao-flagship-publications/the-state-of-food-security-and-nutrition-in-the-world/en
  22. FAO, WHO. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020. Transforming Food Systems for Affordable Healthy Diets. Rome; 2020. https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/9a0fca06-5c5b-4bd5-89eb-5dbec0f27274/content.
  23. National Population Commission. 2006. Nigerian Census Report Abuja 2006. https://nationalpopulation.gov.ng/census enumeration (accessed date: February 2, 2024)
  24. Lwanga SK, Lemeshow S, WHO. Sample size determination in health studies: a practical manual / S. K. Lwanga and S. Lemeshow. World Health Organization; 2022. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/40062.
  25. Tsegai D, Kormawa PC. Determinants of Urban Household Demand for Cassava Products in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria. I: Conference of International Research for Development. Witzenhanston; 2002, p. 19–10. https://www.tropentag.de/2002/abstracts/full/55.pdf.
  26. Fadare, O., Akerele, D., Mavrotas, G., Ogunniyi, A. Effect of conflict and food price shocks on calorie intake and acute malnutrition in Nigeria: A micropanel data analysis. In: 93rd Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society, proceedings, University of Warwick, 16-17. April, 2019, Warwick, England, retrieved at: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aesc19:289676, 12th February 2022
  27. Nuani FO, Gido EO, Ingasia O. Consumer preference for selected roots and tubers among urban households. International Journal of Vegetable Science 2022;28:114. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360450498_Consumer_preference_for_selected_roots_and_tubers_among_urban_households.
  28. Mustafa G, Huo W, Pervaiz A, Ullah MR, Zulfiqar M. Validating LA/AIDS model in the food market of Pakistan. Heliyon 2022;8: e10699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10699
  29. Ezedinma C, Kormawa P, Chianu J. Urban Household Demand for Meat and Meat Products in Nigeria: An Almost Ideal Demand System Analysis. In: Farm Management Association of Nigeria Conference, Jos, Nigeria; 2006. https://www.academia.edu/22000386.
  30. Gibson JC. Food Consumption and Food Policy in Urban Papua, Institute of National Affairs, Port moves by Papua, New Guinea. Ppapua; 2005. https://books.google.com/books/about/Food_Consumption_and_Food_Policy_in_Papu.html?id=pEJEAAAAYAAJ.
  31. Hudik M. The Marshallian demand curve revisited. The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals 2020;27:108–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/09672567.2019.1651361.
  32. Kormava P, Akoroda MO. Cassava Supply Chain Arrangement for Industrial Utilization in Nigeria. Ibadan: Nigeria; 2003. https://www.fao.org/4/y5548e/y5548e0d.htm
  33. Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations. Cadre Harmonisé report on State of Food and Agriculture in Nigeria. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2025. Rome; 2025. https://www.fao.org/home/en/.
  34. Engel E. Die productions-und consumtionsverhältnisse des königreichs sachsen. Zeitschrift des Statistischen Bureaus des Königlich Sächsischen Ministeriums des Innern 1857;8:1-54 https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=2751716.
  35. Deaton A. The analysis of household surveys: A microeconometric approach to development policy. Washington: DC; 1997. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/593871468777303124/the-analysis-of-household-surveys-a-microeconometric-approach-to-development-policy.
  36. Varian HR. Intermediate microeconomics: A modern approach, 2014 (9th ed.). W. W. Norton & Company. https://nibmehub.com/opac-service/pdf/read/Intermediate%20Microeconomics%20(9th%20edition).pdf
  37. Chiaka JC, Zhen L, Xiao Y. Changing Food Consumption Patterns and Land Requirements for Food in the Six Geopolitical Zones in Nigeria. Foods 2022;11:150. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11020150
  38. Salam NG, Alase GA, Lamidi SO, Joseph TE. Determinant of household food expenditure: Does Engel law hold in Nigeria. African Economic and Management Review (AEMR) 2022;2:11–17. https://doi.org/10.53790/aemr.v2i3.65.
  39. Addai, I. Accounting for Marginal Food Budget Share and The Engel’s Law Coefficient In Ghana: The Empirics from The Ghana Living Standards Survey Round Seven. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) 2021;26:62–6. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-2602016266
  40. Dauda AK, Aderinoye-Abdulwahab SA, Karakara AA, Kareem OW, Orkoh E, Egbewole HO. Gender differentials and distributional effect of climate-smart agriculture practices on farm production and welfare in Nigeria. Discov Food 2025;5:2–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44187-025-00536-x
  41. Omotayo AO. Data on the agricultural household's dietary diversity and health in the South West geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Data in Brief 2020;30:1-6.
  42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2020.105413
  43. Banerjee AV, Duflo E. The economic lives of the poor. Journal of Economic Perspectives 2007;21:141–68. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.21.1.141.
  44. Salman KK, Salawu RO, Salawu MB, Osawe OW. Food Demand In Nigeria. Journal of Rural Economics and Development 2021;23:1-11. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.313622 https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/ngjred/313622.html