Highlights:

• While the food shortage situation in the second quarter of 2024 was little changed from the same period last year, the situation deteriorated significantly in nine of the 22 governorates. Almost one in two households (45 percent) suffered from inadequate food supplies nationwide. These deteriorations are expected to continue until September 2024, while the weak seasonal rains in April-May-June (AMJ) pose an unfavourable outlook for highland harvests, which are expected to start from October.
• Household purchasing power has declined significantly due to the decline in job opportunities and increased food prices in GoY areas, while civil servants are increasingly unable to afford basic goods, including food, due to delayed or irregular disbursements.
• In the areas controlled by the Yugoslav government, although global food prices had declined, imported food prices rose due to the devaluation of the local currency (YER). In addition, fuel prices rose more sharply in these areas, partly in response to the recent recovery in global crude oil markets.
• Despite ongoing disruptions in the Red Sea, imports of food and fuel continued as usual, ensuring an adequate supply of food to the markets.
• The number of conflicts fell to historic lows as SBA attention and resources were diverted to the Red Sea crisis, resulting in a reduction in the number of new internal displacements.
• July to September are the typical peaks of the lean period, which is characterized by increasing food insecurity. Food shortages are expected to persist in most parts of the country until the end of September 2024. The decline is expected to be exacerbated by reduced humanitarian food assistance and higher food prices in GoY areas.