Minimal levels of general food insecurity despite delays in social programs
KEY MESSAGES
The government’s social assistance program is designed to meet the food needs of 865,000 recipients, compared with an average food-insecure population of four million for this time of year. The program was originally scheduled to run from January through May. Though the delivery of aid could be delayed by two months, this should not significantly affect the food security situation thanks to good food access and certain ongoing operations by the humanitarian community.
Market supplies of locally grown crops are normal and account for most available supplies of millet. However, prices are still above seasonal averages with high institutional demand and increasing household consumption, with the normal depletion of household cereal reserves and this year’s smaller than usual flow of labor migration.
Aside from elevated prices, no major anomalies have been observed to-date on border markets despite potential pressure from the growing numbers of refugees in the western part of the country. Likewise, early reports of crop failures in Nigeria have not yet triggered unusual trends on key cross-border markets.
