Famine Early Warning Systems Network

Key Messages

• This report provides a summary of findings from a FEWS NET trader survey using a SMS-based platform through GeoPoll during the week of August 24th, 2015 (thirteenth round of data collection). The sample includes 276 small to large-scale traders across 14 districts in Sierra Leone (Figure 1).

• Thirty-eight percent of respondents were local rice traders and 28 percent were imported rice traders, followed by palm oil (18 percent), and cassava (16 percent). 

• During the week of August 24th, 23 percent of survey respondents reported that the most important market in their area operated at reduced levels (Figures 2 and 3), and one percent of traders reported market closures. 

• Twenty-eight percent of traders indicated that market supplies of main commodities were lower than normal at this time (Figure 4). 

• High transport costs was the most frequently cited reason for reduced market supplies compared to normal at this time (Figure 5). 

• Forty-four percent of respondents indicated that the current primary agricultural activity is weeding (Figure 10). Thirty-nine percent of respondents reported normal and on-time agricultural activities (Figure 9). 

• Forty-nine percent of respondents reported reduced agricultural wage opportunities compared to normal at this time (Figure 8). Thirty-three percent of traders reported that they were not able to sell their cash crops as usual at this time of year (Figure 7).