The national average retail price of sorghum was SDG407.5/1 Kg, an increase of 7.1% compared to the previous month.
▪ The national average retail price of wheat flour was SDG1,280/1 Kg, a decrease of 2.96% compared to the previous month.
▪ The national average retail price of the goat was SDG35,132/head, a decrease of 0.31% compared to the previous month.
▪ The national average price of groundnut was SDG27,526/1 kantar, an increase of 16.6% compared to the previous month.
▪ The average cost of the WFP local food basket was SDG643.4/1 LFB, an increase of 7.38% compared to the previous month.
▪ The Average foreign exchange rate increased significantly in August, it was around 720 SDG/1US$ compared to 600 SDG in July 2023, a 20 % increment.
Food Security Outlook
The WFP local food basket cost, wheat prices, Sorghum, and exchange rate showed an increase while the casual-labor daily wages decreased during August compared to July. The foreign exchange rate showed a significant increase during August, where it traded around 720SDG/1US$ compared to 600SDG on average in July 2023, while the commercial banks’ average rate increased to around 610SDG/1US$ due to the increasing demand for the foreign currency by travelers, inputs, and goods import. The inflation rates were not issued since last February 2023, but with the skyrocketing prices of goods and services, it is estimated to exceed 250 percent by the end of this quarter. The WFP local food basket cost (LFB) increased to SDG643.44 in August compared to SDG599.2 in July, which is an increase of 7.38 percent.
The LFB cost increased by 22.92 percent compared to the same month of the previous year (SDG523.45). The average daily wage rate of casual labor sharply decreased by 11.1 percent compared to July 2023, (decreased from SDG5,618 in July to SDG4,997 in August), while it was higher by 44 percent compared to the same month of the previous year.
The continuation of the current situation is expected to result in a severe shortage of food supply and other essential commodities, which will complicate the situation, where the increase in the prices of goods and services progressively might create a very high food insecurity risk for millions of people.
Source : Relief Web
