Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (October 2018)

INTRODUCTION

The Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) was launched by REACH in collaboration with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster and the Cash and Market Working Group (CMWG) to support humanitarian actors with the objective of harmonizing price monitoring among all cash actors in Yemen. The JMMI incorporates information on market systems including price levels and supply chains. The basket of goods to be assessed comprises eight non-food items (NFIs), including fuel, water and hygiene products, reflecting the programmatic areas of the WASH Cluster.

METHODOLOGY

Data collection for the seventh round of the JMMI took place between the 21 – 31 October 2018. Enumerators from 13 partner organisations collected data in 58 districts across 16 governorates, through Key Informant (KI) interviews. The sample of vendors was selected by the organisations from markets of various sizes in both urban and rural areas. The data collected has been analysed in comparison with the price quotations recorded during the Multi-Agency Joint Cash Study conducted in September 2017, and the Weekly Price Monitoring Initiative (WPMI). Endorsed by the WASH Cluster, the WPMI was conducted during the economic blockade of Yemen in November 2017. Findings of this analysis, which are as indicative, are presented on a monthly basis through the publication of a factsheet and a supplementary dataset.

KEY FINDINGS

PRICE MONITORING OVERVIEW

• Between September and October, the value of the Yemeni Riyal (YER) continued to depreciate against the US Dollar (USD). At the time of data collection the exchange rate in the parallel market was 745 YER per USD, an increase of 9.5% when compared to September.

• Median price levels for most commodities increased between September and October. Laundry powder and water trucking prices had the greatest increase: 13.4% and 13.9% respectively.

• Median price levels for petrol and soap decreased between September and October by 12.2% and 14% respectively.

• The aggregated median WASH Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) Cost was 11,696 YER, with an increase of 9% compared to the cost observed in September.

SUPPLY OVERVIEW

• Fuel prices were higher in districts supplied by the governorate of al Hudaydah than in districts supplied by Aden. The highest fuel prices were largely found in the governorates of Taiz,
Hajjah, and al Hudaydah.

• The median restocking time, reported at the time of data collection by fuel vendors, was 7 days compared to 5 days reported in September.

• Price inflation, transportation, and liquidity issues remained the challenges most frequently cited by vendor KIs. Shortages of fuel were also highlighted as a main challenge.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-joint-market-monitoring-initiative-october-2018