Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Syria

Northwest Syria Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) August 2023

Attachments

KEY Findings

  • The TRY-USD exchange rate increased by 4% compared to a month-tomonth increase of 21% last month.

  • The SMEB total in TRY increased from 3,441 to 3,667 (+7%), mostly related to the ongoing currency depreciation.

  • Prices of most monitored items continued to rise in parallel with the ongoing currency depreciation of the Turkish Lira against the USD.

  • Prices of all SMEB vegetables – except onions - increased as a result of the end of the harvest season in NWS.

  • The price of SMEB water increased by 17%, particularly in Idleb (24%) which may be related to larger fuel price increases in Idleb compared to Aleppo.

  • Liquidity seemed to slightly improve in August with fewer vendors reporting low stock of multiple denominators, particularly in Aleppo. However, close to all surveyed vendors (99%) continue to report limited stock of at least one denominator.

ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW

To inform humanitarian cash programming, the Northwest of Syria (NWS) Cash Working Group (CWG), in partnership with local and international NGOs, conducts a monthly Joint Market Monitoring Initiative in Northern Syria. The exercise assesses the availability and prices of 36 basic commodities that are typically sold in markets and consumed by the average Syrian household, including food, water and non-food items e.g., fuel, and cell phone data. Of these, 18 items comprise the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB), which represents the minimum, culturally adjusted items required to support a 6-person household for a month.