Famine Early Warning Systems Network

Fuel pump prices across the country have risen for the first time since the start of the Ukraine crisis, with a liter of premium petrol and diesel selling respectively 16 and 25 percent higher since February 1, 2023. The government envisages parallel measures such as maintaining kerosene and cooking gas prices and increasing the remuneration of state employees by 5.2 percent on average to protect the purchasing power of vulnerable households. However, the recent fuel price increase is already causing a corresponding increase in other costs, particularly in the transportation sector, with negative impacts on poor rural, poor urban, and internally displaced households, who are already spending a large share of their income on food.

Cameroon’s general inflation remains high, close to the 6.3 percent rate in 2022 According to FEWS NET price monitoring data collected in selected markets across the country, prices of imported and processed staple foods continue to rise moderately to significantly above the five-year average and 2022 levels, given constant below-average domestic supply stemming from globally high price trends and shipping costs due to a prolonged Russia-Ukraine war.

Prices of locally produced cereals such as maize, sorghum, and millet are also rising, following the typical seasonal trend as the lean season approaches. They remain significantly above average in conflict-affected areas due to consecutive seasons of below-average harvest and low carryover stocks.Cereal prices have remained exceptionally high through February 2023 across all FEWS NET monitored markets in the Far North region, supported by below-average production and strong export demand. This is compounded by insecurity and additional supply disruptions. Sorghum and maize prices increased month-to-month through 2022, and in January 2023 were 20 to 26 percent, respectively, above the 2022 average and 50 to 60 percent above the five-year average.

Overall, high inflation continues to limit household purchasing power and access to food, particularly among the urban poor households and those affected by conflict and insecurity. These households primarily rely on market purchases due to no harvests or already depleted stocks from limited own harvests.In the major cities of Yaoundé and Douala, urban poor households report reducing the number of meals and food portions, exhausting previous savings, or accruing debt to survive, resulting in Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes.

The purchasing power for households affected by conflict and flooding in the Northwest, Southwest, and Far North regions continues to be significantly hampered by reduced incomes, which, with increasing market reliance and high food prices, are maintaining food consumption gaps and necessitating negative coping strategies. Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected to persist through June, with assistance needs projected to peak around May/June. Improvement to Stressed (IPC Phase 2) is likely around July/August in the Northwest and Southwest regions due to improved household food consumption and income from the availability of own harvests. Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are likely to persist through September among insurgency-affected households in the Far North region despite the start of main harvests.