The August 2024 Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) led by REACH, an initiative of IMPACT, in support of the South Sudan Cash Working Group reveals significant challenges in market conditions across South Sudan. The report highlights dramatic price increases and barriers to market access that threaten food security. 

Key findings show a sharp increase in prices for essential goods: groundnuts up 85%, cooking oil up 41%, and beans up 20% from July to August. These surges have pushed the Multi-Sector Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (MSSMEB) up by 9%, increasing the financial burden on already vulnerable households. Indeed, the MSSMEB is crucial as it sets the minimum cost needed for households to meet their acute and household needs.  

The price hikes are driven by several factors, including the depreciation of the South Sudanese Pound and high transportation costs due to seasonal constraints and it being the rainy season, causing poor road conditions (35%) and high taxes (29%). Additionally, some areas, like MalekAlel in Aweil South County, Aduel, in Rumbek East Country, and Ariath in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State saw an increase in the MSSMEB and in food basket costs. Male kAlel had an 84% increase in the MSSMEB and a 93% rise in food basket costs, while Aduel followed closely, with a 76% rise in the MSSMEB and an 85% increase in the food basket. Finally, Ariath saw a 60% rise in the MSSMEB and a 61% increase in the food basket reflecting severe regional disparities. 

For more details, read the full Market Overview report here.