In its February 2024 update World Food Program (WFP) noticed that despite the uncertainty amid the ongoing tensions in the region and the rise in shipping and insurance rates along the Red Sea route, an increase of the overall volume of imports to Yemen.
WFP report referred the increase to existing orders and ships already in transit, adding “While the overall volume of food imports declined by around 20 percent during December 2023, it saw a 23 percent increase during January 2024, bouncing back to November 2023 levels.”
The report mentioned that while close monitoring is necessarily over the coming months the essential food items remained available in Yemeni markets during January 2024, with sufficient stocks to cover essential needs in the coming 2-3 months.
WFP report stated that General Food Assistance (GFA) remains paused in areas under Houthi rebels control since December 2023, while WFP continued to assist nearly 3.6 million people in Internationally Recognized Government controlled areas with reduced rations, equivalent to around 40 percent of the WFP full ration per each distribution cycle.
The report added that WFP monitoring data extracted from a panel sample of GFA beneficiaries indicates that the pause of assistance in the north had significant negative implications on beneficiary households; the share of households experiencing poor food consumption increased from 24 percent in the baseline (cycle 5 in 2023) to 37 percent during January 2024, while those with inadequate food consumption increased from 58 percent to 67 percent during the same period.
WFP report concluded “According to the most recent update for IRG-controlled areas, food prices in the south are expected to remain elevated during Q1-2024, mainly driven by the ongoing currency depreciation, high import bills, increased fuel prices and increased shipping costs due to the Red Sea crisis.