34.7m Nigerians Face Hunger From Conflict, Rising Costs–PWC

Nigeria is projected to face a worsening food security crisis in 2026, with up to 34.7 million people at risk of acute food insecurity, according to PwC’s Nigeria Economic Outlook 2026.
Titled: “Turning Macroeconomic Stability into Sustainable Growth,” the report, released recently, warns that persistent insecurity, rising agricultural input costs, and climate shocks are weakening food production, distribution, and access across the country. PwC cautioned that without urgent and coordinated policy action, these pressures are likely to intensify.
Conflict remains the most immediate threat, particularly in northern Nigeria, where insecurity has displaced farmers and disrupted critical agricultural activities, including planting and harvesting.
“Conflict, high input costs, and climate shocks are expected to push 34.7 million Nigerians into acute food insecurity in 2026,” PwC stated.
Between January and October 2025, around 34,000 people were displaced across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states, significantly reducing agricultural labor in key food-producing areas.
Rising costs of agricultural inputs are compounding the problem. The report noted that the national average price of NPK fertiliser increased by 19.5 per cent in 2025 to about ₦52,000 per 50kg bag. Production costs for maize and soybean also surged 29.2 per cent and 36.8 per cent, respectively.
“Limited access to finance reduced input usage: only 62 per cent of farmers used agricultural inputs in 2025, down from 81 per cent in 2024, leading to a 24 per cent drop in input application and an 8 per cent contraction in cultivated land,” PwC added.
Climate shocks, including erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged dry spells, further reduced output, already tightening food supply and setting the stage for deeper shortages in 2026.
PwC’s projections align with warnings from farmers and international organisations. NATIONAL ECONOMY previously reported that farmers in the North-Central and North-West regions have considered abandoning farming due to high production costs, insecurity, and massive post-harvest losses.
Similarly, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projected that about 34.7 million Nigerians could face severe food insecurity during the June–August 2026 lean season, based on its October 2025 Cadre Harmonisé analysis.
Persistent food inflation, driven by insecurity, currency pressures, rising energy prices, and escalating input costs, has particularly affected smallholder farmers, reducing both productivity and food availability.
PwC stressed that addressing insecurity, reducing input costs, expanding access to agricultural finance, and strengthening climate adaptation will be critical to preventing the projected food insecurity from escalating into a humanitarian crisis in 2026.