Monitoring market price trends remains an integral part of WFP's efforts to understand food security conditions in north eastern Nigeria as this helps to guide programming activities in relation to CVA and contributes to understanding of how prevailing market conditions impact conflict-affected households' access to food. To this end, WFP undertakes a bi-weekly monitoring of food commodities to gauge how vulnerable and market-dependent households are affected by food price changes and the resulting impact of such changes on the cost of the food basket. In Borno State, the monitored markets include Monday market, Abbaganaram, Budum, Kasuwan Shanu, Bullumkutu, Baga Road, Tashan Bama, Custom market. In Yobe State on the other hand, Damaturu, Bursari, Gujba, Potiskum, Jakusko, Geidam, Yunusari, Yusufari, Bade, Nguru and Gulani markets are monitored. Key highlights include:

• The prolonged land border closure in Nigeria has continued to limit traders’ ability to supply the markets, export and boost volumes of commodities typically traded (including rice, fresh produce, and cash crops) with neighbouring countries like Cameroun, Chad Benin and Niger.

• In February, relative to three months ago, most staple (maize, red beans, ground nuts and sorghum) prices were seasonally lower or stable, except for imported and local rice which continues to show an increasing trend. Prices generally remained mostly below their prices last year and two-year average levels.

• Compared to January, the price of red beans decreased in Monday (17.3%), Abbaganaram (17.8%), Budum (21.6%), and Bullumkutu (24.5%), and Tashan Bama (31%) markets in Borno state. Similarly in Yobe monitored markets, the price of this staple witnessed a significant decreases as observed in Damaturu (35%), Geidam (40%), Potiskum (42.3%), while it remained stable in Nguru, Yusufari and Yunusari markets.

• In Borno, prices of imported rice increased in Baga (11.2%), Tashan Bama (19%), Kasuwan Shanu (25%), Monday (27%) and Budum (34.5%) and Custom (38%) markets. Likewise in Yobe, prices slightly increased in Nguru, Gashua and Potiskum. However, imported rice has not been available in some border markets (Geidam, Yunusari and Yusufari) largely owing to the border closure earlier highlighted.

• Between January and February 2020, the cost of the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) for a family of five increased by five (5) percent from 16,011.03 Naira to 16,857.44 Naira in Maiduguri and Jere. Similarly, in Damaturu, during the same period the SMEB increased by two (2) percent between January and February (from 11,403.00 Naira to 11,658.15 Naira). The slight increase in the SMEB, due to the price increase in imported rice, it is unlikely that households’ access to food would be less as households would likely substitute the imported rice component with another affordable staple food to ensure that their basic food needs are met.