Key Message Update

The atypical increase in food prices compromises poor household food access

January 2023

January 2023

February - May 2023

IPC v3.1 Acute Food Insecurity Phase

1: Minimal
2: Stressed
3+: Crisis or higher
Would likely be at least one phase worse without
current or programmed humanitarian assistance
FEWS NET classification is IPC-compatible. IPC-compatible analysis follows key IPC protocols but does not necessarily reflect the consensus of national food security partners.
FEWS NET Remote Monitoring countries use a colored outline to represent the highest IPC classification in areas of concern.

IPC v3.1 Acute Food Insecurity Phase

1: Minimal
2: Stressed
3: Crisis
4: Emergency
5: Famine
Would likely be at least one phase worse without current or programmed humanitarian assistance
FEWS NET classification is IPC-compatible. IPC-compatible analysis follows key IPC protocols but does not necessarily reflect the consensus of national food security partners.

IPC v3.1 Acute Food Insecurity Phase

1: Minimal
2: Stressed
3+: Crisis or higher
Would likely be at least one phase worse without
current or programmed humanitarian assistance
FEWS NET classification is IPC-compatible. IPC-compatible analysis follows key IPC protocols but does not necessarily reflect the consensus of national food security partners.
FEWS NET Remote Monitoring countries use a colored outline to represent the highest IPC classification in areas of concern.

IPC v3.1 Acute Food Insecurity Phase

Presence countries:
1: Minimal
2: Stressed
3: Crisis
4: Emergency
5: Famine
Remote monitoring
countries:
1: Minimal
2: Stressed
3+: Crisis or higher
Would likely be at least one phase worse without
current or programmed humanitarian assistance
FEWS NET Remote Monitoring countries use a colored outline to represent the highest IPC classification in areas of concern.

Key Messages

  • Households in agricultural areas are accessing their current harvests and experiencing Minimal (IPC Phase 1) food insecurity. However, in urban areas and the Centre-North agropastoral zone, atypically high food prices  limit households' food access, resulting in Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes until May.

  • The good cereal production of the current cropping season offers good food prospects for households in agricultural and agro-pastoral areas. Yet, the market supply of local cereals, sorghum, and millet is significantly lower than in a typical year at the same period due to the low flow of traditional cereals from Mali and Senegal. However, the rice, wheat and oil supply are regular and sufficient across the country.

  • Staple food prices remain high compared to last year’s levels and the five-year average, negatively impacting access to food for poor households in urban centers that acquire food exclusively from the market. These atypical price levels are more pronounced for imported products, particularly wheat, affected by the sharp rises in world prices for raw materials and hydrocarbons. In the country’s interior, although the harvests favor a seasonal fall in local cereals (millet, sorghum), prices remain above average due to the weak flows from Mali.

  • The relatively low livestock supply in urban markets is a normal seasonal phenomenon. However, livestock prices in rural markets are higher than average due to good pastoral and body conditions. Nonetheless, terms of trade for sheep/wheat remain unfavorable to breeders because of the high prices of imported food products, such as wheat.

About FEWS NET

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network is a leading provider of early warning and analysis on food insecurity. Created by USAID in 1985 to help decision-makers plan for humanitarian crises, FEWS NET provides evidence-based analysis on approximately 30 countries. Implementing team members include NASA, NOAA, USDA, USGS, and CHC-UCSB, along with Chemonics International Inc. and Kimetrica.
Learn more About Us.

Link to United States Agency for International Development (USAID)Link to the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) FEWS NET Data PortalLink to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Link to National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth ObservatoryLink to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service, Climage Prediction CenterLink to the Climate Hazards Center - UC Santa BarbaraLink to KimetricaLink to Chemonics