Food prices in Mali and Sudan

This study looks at food prices in Mali and Sudan to see how they changed between 2019 and mid-2022, when the prices of global basic goods spiked, in part pushed higher by war in Ukraine.

This study looks at prices of basic goods – above all staple foods – in Mali and Sudan to see how those prices have changed between 2019 (pre-pandemic) and mid-2022, when prices of wheat, maize, oil and fertiliser spiked on world markets, in part pushed higher by war in Ukraine.

How did prices change? What drove price changes? What effects did higher prices have? What public responses were undertaken by governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)?

A related blog by Steve Wiggins, 'Shocking price increases in Mali and Sudan: what, why, and so what?', can be read here.

Key Findings

Prices of cereals in both countries had doubled, or more, since 2019;
The price rises were (very) largely a result of domestic drivers. In Mali, poor harvests have led to higher cereals prices: harvests losses arising from low rains in 2021 combined with conflict that reduced cultivated areas. The ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) trade embargo that applied to Mali in the first half of 2022 interrupted the supply of fertiliser, pushing up its price. In Sudan, extremely high domestic inflation explained most of the price increases in cereals;
Increases in world prices played only a very small part in higher cereals prices in the two countries;
Most people coped by economising their diets, cutting out costly foods; giving up small luxuries such as moto taxi rides; and trying to earn more by taking on more work;
Only those already struggling to make ends meet – people in households lacking assets, savings and labour – were pushed towards eating wild foods and begging; and,
Public responses – from government, donors, NGOs (both international and local) – were limited compared to the scale of hardship inflicted by higher prices. In Mali, the government tried to subsidise prices of staple foods and other essential items, but with only a small budget to do so, it had seemingly little effect.
Otherwise, agencies responded by trying to reach hard-hit households with cash grants and food parcels, or by providing nutrition interventions, for example, to protect infants and mothers against malnutrition.

The report also discusses the implications of these findings for policymakers in Mali and Sudan.

Authors: Steve Wiggins, Mary Allen, Boukary Barry, Neema Patel, Elvira Mami, Hussein Sulieman

Food prices in Mali and Sudan
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Food prices in Mali and Sudan

Authors

Steve Wiggins

Elvira Mami