Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative: July Situation Overview 2020

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 harmonization of 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 nonfood items (NFIs), including fuel, water, and hygiene products, reflecting the programmatic areas of the WASH Cluster. The JMMI tracks all components of the WASH and Food Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) as well as other food and non-food items. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, REACH has adapted the JMMI to begin assessing the potential impact of the pandemic on markets and on respondents' businesses.

Methodology

Data was collected through interviews with vendor Key Informants (KIs), selected by partner organisations from markets of various sizes in both urban and rural areas. More details are available in the methodology section of the appendix. Findings are indicative for the assessed locations and time frame in which the data was collected. From April 2020, data for the JMMI has been collected on a bi-weekly basis to better track disruptions caused by COVID-19.

COVID-specific JMMI factsheets are produced bi-weekly, and a more comprehensive situation overview using data from both factsheets is produced monthly. Data from the second round (final week) of the month will be compared to data from the last week week of the previous month, to ensure a consistent monthto-month comparison. Please refer to the appendix for additional methodological details.

JMMI monthly figures

Data collection July (round 1) 12 July - 16 July

12 Participating partners

50 Districts assessed

269 Vendor KIs surveyed

Data collection July (round 2) 23 July - 30 July

12 Participating partners

49 Districts assessed

249 Vendor KIs surveyed

KEY FINDINGS

• The number of businesses reported as open within a 2 minute walk from KIs has continued to increase.

• Vendor KIs reported facing additional difficulties obtaining fuel. Almost all vendor KIs (91%) reported that diesel was difficult to obtain and 82% reported difficulties obtaining petrol.

• Price inflation remains the most commonly reported economic issue when obtaining fuel items, WASH, food items, and water trucking services.

• The food SMEB cost was found to have decreased by 16.3% since early July, contributing to a 13.4% decrease in the overall SMEB cost.

• The average restocking time for food items was found to be lower than for fuel and WASH items.

• Exchange rates continue to differ across the country: rates under 600 Yemeni Riyals (YER) to one US dollar (USD) were reported in Al Hudaydah, Amran, Hajjah, Ibb, and Sana’a City. Meanwhile, the highest exchange rates were reported in Hadramaut, Lahj, Aden and Abyan.