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INTRODUCTION
To facilitate humanitarian cash programming, the Northwest of Syria Cash Working Group (NWS CWG), in collaboration with local and international NGOs, carries out a monthly Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) in Northern Syria. This initiative assesses the availability and prices of basic commodities typically sold in markets and consumed by the average Syrian household. These include food, water, and non-food items such as fuel, shelter and clothing.
Among these, 18 components (measured by 24 items) form the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB), which signifies the minimum culturally adjusted items necessary to sustain a household of 6 individuals for a month.
KEY FINDINGS
• The cost of the SMEB food component increased across all assessed subdistricts in Greater Idlib and Northern Aleppo, likely reflecting the greater impact of recent developments in Syria on these areas at the time of data collection.
• Following seasonal trends, the prices of several monitored fresh food items saw significant changes. Tomato and onion prices rose by 73% and 4.5%, respectively, while potato and cucumber prices dropped by 20% and 1.6%, respectively.
• The cost of water trucking in NWS has surged by 56% over the past year, despite a slight 3% decrease between December and January. This continued rise poses significant challenges for households in meeting their basic water needs.
• Markets across NWS remained broadly functional according to vendor KIs, with 56% reporting that they faced no difficulties or supply challenges in maintaining business operations.
• The number of vendor KIs reporting that security issues had negatively impacted their business in the 7 days before data collection decreased from 14% in Northern Aleppo and 15% in Greater Idlib in December, to 1% in January