Syria Market Monitoring Exercise

Transcription

1 Syria Market Monitoring Exercise May 217 KEY FINDINGS The largest change across Syria in May was the continued decline in the median price of assessed vegetables across all of Syria in May. The median price of cucumbers and onions dropped by 43% ( ) and 28% (5 ), respectively. Price declines of tomatoes and potatoes were also observed in some regions. This may be related to early harvesting, as the expected onset of harvest season for these foods is in June. An average 3.2% decline in SMEB costs was reported in the 37 subdistricts with complete SMEBs in April and May. ASSESSED AREAS IDLEB LATTAKIA QUNEITRA DAMASCUS DAR'A ALEPPO RURAL DAMASCUS Median prices for half of assessed food items did not significantly change in any region in May, including oil, ghee, sugar, tea and most grains. The median price of LP gas declined by 32% (92 ) in the northwest, driven mostly by price changes observed in Idleb governorate, and especially in Dana subdistrict. The median exchange rate for USD across all assessed subdistricts dropped by 2.9% in May, with JOD falling by 1.7% and no change observed in the TRY exchange rate. AR-RAQQA AL-HASAKEH DEIR-EZ-ZOR Regional breakdown Northwest Syria Northeast Syria South Syria Governorates not assessed OVERVIEW To inform humanitarian actors cash and voucher programming, REACH and the Cash-Based Responses (CBR TWG) conduct monthly monitoring of key markets throughout Syria to assess the availability and affordability of key commodities. Monitored commodities reflect those that are typically available, sold in markets and consumed by an average Syrian household, including food items, non-food items, fuel, water and smartphone data. Many are components of the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB), detailed below, which represents the minimum culturally adjusted SURVIVAL MINIMUM EXPENDITURE BASKET (SMEB) CONTENTS Item Quantity Food 37 kg Items Bulgur 15 kg Chicken 6 kg Eggs 6 kg Fresh vegetables 12 kg Ghee/vegetable oil 7 kg Red lentils 15 kg Rice 19 kg Salt 1 kg Sugar 5 kg Tomato paste 6 kg Non-Food Bathing soap 12 bars Items Laundry/dish soap 3 kg Sanitary pads 4 packs of 1 Toothpaste 2 pieces Fuel Cooking fuel* 25 L Water Water 4 L Telecom Smartphone data 1 GB Other Float (other costs)** 7.5% total value * Kerosene in northern Syria; LPG in southern Syria. ** Float was excluded from SMEB calculations due to the commonality of incomplete baskets. group of items required to support a six-person Syrian household for one month. Between 15 and 22 May 217, a network of 11 NGOs involved in cash-based responses in Syria (ACTED, CARE/Shafak, Concern, GOAL, Ihsan, IRC, Mercy Corps, People in Need, REACH, Solidarités International and Violet) contributed data from 65 subdistricts spanning in 1 governorates. See map at left for coverage. Situation overviews and cleaned data sets from all months of the Market Monitoring Exercise are available on the REACH Resource Centre and are distributed to the broader humanitarian community. For additional details on methodology and shifts in coverage, please consult the appendix at the end of this document. CHALLENGES AND LIMITATIONS As the Syria Market Monitoring Exercise currently includes 11 partners based in three hubs, achieving a consistent approach is inherently challenging. Participating organisations are therefore requested to adopt harmonised data collection methodologies and tools to ensure that the data uploaded are as accurate as possible. While some markets assessed in previous rounds were not covered in May due to operational constraints, this did not affect the total number of subdistricts covered. Confirming commodity shortages in certain communities was difficult due to a lack of information about general market availability. When follow-ups were unable to confirm these shortages, this is stated in the text. Given security and access constraints, in the divided cities of Deir-ez-Zor, al-hasakeh and Quamishli, markets on only one side of the frontline could be surveyed.

2 NORTHWEST Syria: Food, Water and Mobile Data Lattakia, Idleb, western Aleppo governorates CURRENCY 535 /USD Median exchange rates 149 /TRY 2 /JOD* 16 2 * Lattakia was the only community to report this exchange rate. Median /USD exchange rate FOOD ITEMS Noteworthy price changes since April: Cucumbers (-56%) Tomatoes (-29%) Onions (-29%) Eggs (-18%) Lentils (-13%) Chicken (+13%) Decreases in the median price of cucumbers have been reported in every subdistrict in May, continuing a decline in price that began in February. Decreases in the median price of tomatoes occurred in almost all subdistricts, outside Heish and Kafr Nobol, where prices remained similar to April. The FAO has indicated harvest season for cucumbers, onions, potatoes and tomatoes should begin in June. The remaining 11 assessed food items reported median price changes of 5% or less from May. No shortages of any food item in the 26 assessed subdistricts in the northwest were reported. WATER The median rate for private water trucking services in May was.52 per litre of water, a.3 drop from April. Badama and Kafr Takharim subdistricts reported the highest median rates at 1.76 and.81, respectively. The lowest median rate was recorded in Idleb subdistrict at.25 per litre. All assessed subdistricts in the northwest except Lattakia reported private water trucking prices. Median bread prices () MOBILE DATA The median rate for a gigabyte of data in May was reported at, with only a 25 change in median price reported since February 217. How to read a box plot 4 9 ($.29) Maximum price in data set () Upper quartile: 25% of the data is above this point Median price in data set ( and USD) Lower quartile: 25% of the data is below this point Minimum price in data set () Food item prices Tea prices Water trucking prices ($7.1) 1.5 Chicken 9 ($1.68) 9 ($1.68) 8 Eggs (3 eggs) ($1.31) ($1.12) Ghee Vegetable Oil Rice 45 ($.84) 4 ($.) Sugar ($.65) Red Lentils Tomatoes ($.56) ($.47) 165 Milk ($.37) ($.33) ($.28) 12 Bulgur Potatoes Flour ($.26) ($.23) 4 Salt (8 slices) 11 ($.21) 5 ($.21) 5 Cucumbers Onions 3 Tea Water.52 ($.1) 2

3 NORTHWEST Syria: Fuel, NFIs, Availability Issues and SMEBs Median kerosene prices () FUEL The median price of Liquified eum gas across northwest Syria declined by 32% (95 ) to 25 per litre in May. This decline was seen in the majority of subdistricts in the northwest, but excluded Lattakia (where prices remained constant) and Azaz and Suran subdistricts (where prices increased). The highest median reported price of LP gas in the northwest was in Idleb subdistrict (4 ), with the lowest in Lattakia ( ) and Dana subdistricts (395 ). Fuel prices Price () ($.93) ($.79) 45 ($.76) LP Gas Kerosene The median prices for the remaining five assessed fuel items changed by no more than 6%, with manually refined petrol, diesel and kerosene reporting no change from April. Although individual subdistricts reported inability of accessing either the manually refined or government produced version of particular fuel items, all subdistricts reported access to petrol, diesel, and LP gas. HYGIENE AND SANITATION ITEMS The median price of dishwashing liquid across northwest Syria increased by 66% ( ) in May. This increase was primarily driven by price hikes seen in Dana subdistrict, with smaller increases also reported in Idleb and Lattakia subdistricts. The median price for the remaining four assessed hygiene and sanitation items varied by no more than 5 from April. All assessed hygiene and sanitation items were reported available in every subdistrict except Jisrash-Shugur, where sanitary pads were reported to be unavailable. 56 ($.56) 2 ($.51) ($.47) Sanitation and hygiene item prices Price () 9 Laundry Powder ($.93) AVAILABILITY ISSUES Sanitary pads Unavailable in Jisr-Ash-Shugur SMEB (SURVIVAL MINIMUM EXPENDITURE BASKET) The median cost of a complete SMEB in northwest Syria was 62,19 (116.9 USD). A 4% decrease in median cost was observed in the 16 subdistricts which reported complete SMEBs in April and May. Complete SMEBs could be assembled for 22 of 26 assessed subdistricts in northwest Syria in May. Additional information on prices, shortages and price changes of SMEB items can be found in the gray sidebar to the right. ($.47) Dishwashing Liquid 65 Sanitary Pads (1 pack) ($.47) 22 ($.41) 67 Toothpaste ( g) 29 Bathing Soap (1 bar) ($.37) Lattakia, Idleb, western Aleppo governorates Selected subdistrict SMEBs in May Most expensive Lattakia (79,958, USD) Badama (71,68, USD) Darkosh (69,, USD) Least expensive Ma arrat An Nu man (46,111, USD) Heish (51,338, USD) Janudiyeh (52,443, 98.2 USD) Subdistricts with incomplete SMEBs in May Subdistrict Jisr-Ash-Shugur Armanaz Qourqeena Kafr Takharim Largest changes in monthly SMEB costs Ma arrat An Nu man ( 17%) Salqin ( 1%) Harim ( 9%) Missing items Sanitary Pads Note: A lack of data for a SMEB item does not necessarily imply a shortage of that item, and can merely indicates that operational constraints limited complete coverage in the community. 3

4 NORTHWEST Syria: SMEB Prices Lattakia, Idleb, western Aleppo governorates Complete SMEB SMEB without bread A'zaz 6896 Suran SMEB without chicken SMEB without red lentils SMEB without eggs SMEB without sanitary pads SMEB without multiple items Darker shades of blue indicate more expensive complete SMEBs. Salqin 573 Harim 6461 Kafr Takharim 4969 Qourqeena 5748 Dana Atareb Daret Azza A L E P P O Badama 7168 Darkosh 69 Janudiyeh Jisr- Ash-Shugur Armanaz 53 Maaret Tamsrin 6772 Idleb Ariha Bennsh Teftnaz Saraqab Lattakia LATTAKIA H A M A Ehsem Kafr Nobol Heish Khan Shaykun Ma'arrat An Nu'man I D L E B 4

5 NORTHEAST Syria: Food, Water and Mobile Data Al-Hasakeh, Deir-ez-Zor, ar-raqqa, eastern Aleppo governorates CURRENCY 531 /USD Median exchange rates /TRY* 742 /JOD** * No exchange rate data was reported from Al-Hasakeh governorate. ** Exchange rate only reported in Menbij. Median /USD exchange rate Food item prices FOOD ITEMS Noteworthy price changes since April: Cucumbers (-29%) Flour (+25%) Onions (-14%) (+13%) Decreases in the median price of cucumbers have been reported in every subdistrict in the northeast, as was the case across Syria. Smaller but still notable decreases in the median price of onions were observed in the majority of subdistricts in the northeast as well.. The FAO has indicated harvest season for cucumbers, onions, potatoes and tomatoes should begin in June. For the eight subdistricts with coverage in April and May, the median price of milk increased by 19. The median price of salt increased by 1 between April and May. The change in the price of salt is focused on a few subdistricts, primarily: Menbij, Darbasiyeh and Tal Hmis. Eleven of the remaining 13 assessed foodstuffs reported median price changes of 1% or less from April. No shortages of assessed foodstuffs could be confirmed in the 18 subdistricts in the northeast. However, multiple foodstuff prices were not reported in Ain Al Arab, Lower Shyookh and Sarin subdistricts, usually flour, milk, chicken or eggs. WATER No water trucking price data was recorded from Al-Hasakeh governorate. The median rate for private water trucking services in May was.57 per litre of water, a.4 increase from April. Of the four subdistricts reporting price data in Median bread prices () May, the cheapest median water prices were.5 per litre in Ain al Arab and Lower Shyookh subdistricts, and the highest in Suluk subdistrict at.96 per litre. MOBILE DATA The median rate for a gigabyte of data in May was reported at 1,, with no change from April. How to read a box plot Tea prices 4 9 ($.29) Maximum price in data set () Upper quartile: 25% of the data is above this point Median price in data set ( and USD) Lower quartile: 25% of the data is below this point Minimum price in data set () Water trucking prices Price () 8 Eggs (3 eggs) 15 ($1.98) 65 Chicken 85 ($1.6) ($1.41) Ghee Vegetable Oil 7 ($1.13) ($.94) Red Lentils 4 45 ($.9) 3 ($.) 18 Rice Tomatoes Sugar ($.71) 2 ($.52) 125 Potatoes 325 ($.47) Bulgur Cucumbers ($.47) ($.47) ($.47) ($.28) Flour Milk Onions ($.28) 9 ($.17) 6 5 Salt (8 slices) Tea 3 ($6.31) Water.57 ($.1) 5

6 NORTHEAST Syria: Fuel, NFIs, Availability Issues and SMEBs Al-Hasakeh, Deir-ez-Zor, ar-raqqa, eastern Aleppo governorates Median kerosene prices () FUEL The median price of manually refined diesel across northeast Syria declined by 9% (7 ) in May. No changes in median rates were reported in the five remaining assessed fuel items. Menbij subdistrict did not report LP gas prices, Ain Al Arab, Lower Shyookh and Sarin sudistricts did not report manually refined kerosene prices, and Al-Hasakeh and Ya robiyah subdistricts did not report any diesel prices. However, no shortages could be confirmed. Fuel prices HYGIENE AND SANITATION ITEMS The median prices of all assessed hygiene and sanitation items did not significantly change in May. The greatest change was a 1% (25 ) increase in the median price of toothpaste, with all other items reporting changes of under 5%. Of the 18 subdistricts covered in the northeast in May, only two did not report price data on all hygiene and sanitation items. SMEB (SURVIVAL MINIMUM EXPENDITURE BASKET) The median cost of a complete SMEB in northwest Syria was 56,689 (16. USD). A 4% decrease in the median price was observed in the 12 subdistricts which reported complete SMEBs in April and May. Complete SMEBs could be assembled for 15 of 18 assessed subdistricts in northeast Syria in May. Additional information on prices, shortages and price changes of SMEB items can be found in the gray sidebar to the right. Sanitation and hygiene item prices AVAILABILITY ISSUES None confirmed While prices were not reported for several goods in Lower Shyookh and Sarin subdistricts, no shortages could be confirmed. All other items with missing price data were either reported available in the subdistrict, or not collected as part of this round s assessment in that region. Lower Shyookh: Flour, Chicken, Milk, Kerosene, Sanitary Pads, Toothpaste Sarin: Eggs, Milk, Kerosene, Sanitary Pads Abu Qalqal: LP Gas 183 Selected subdistrict SMEBs in May Most expensive Suluk (67,815, USD) Qamishli (58,871, USD) Tal Hmis (57,946, USD) Least expensive Abu Qalqal (48,41, 9.47 USD) Jawadiyah (49,551, USD) Menbij (5,56, USD) Subdistricts with incomplete SMEBs in May Subdistrict Ain Al Arab Lower Shyookh Sarin Missing items Eggs Chicken, Sanitary Pads Eggs, Toothpaste, Sanitary Pads Note: A lack of data for a SMEB item does not necessarily imply a shortage of that item, and can merely indicates that operational constraints limited complete coverage in the community. Price () 125 ($.24) 11 ($.21) 15 ($.19) LP Gas 6 Kerosene 85 ($.14) ($.14) ($.8) Price () 325 Laundry Powder 667 ($1.25) ($.94) 3 9 Dishwashing Liquid ($.47) Sanitary Pads (1 pack) ($.47) Toothpaste ( g) 45 Bathing Soap (1 bar) 17 ($.32) Largest changes in monthly SMEB costs Jawadiyah ( 19%) Qahtaniyyeh ( 15%) Quamishli ( 1%) 6

7 NORTHEAST Syria: SMEB Prices Al-Hasakeh, Deir-ez-Zor, ar-raqqa, eastern Aleppo governorates Complete SMEB SMEB without bread SMEB without chicken SMEB without red lentils SMEB without eggs SMEB without sanitary pads SMEB without multiple items Darker shades of blue indicate more expensive complete SMEBs. Menbij 556 Lower Shyookh Abu Qalqal 4841 Ain al Arab Sarin Tell Abiad Suluk Ras Al Ain 53 Tal Tamer 5737 Darbasiyah Al-Hasakeh Amuda Quamishli Tal Hmis Qahtaniyyeh Jawadiyah 4851 Ya'robiyah Al- Malikeyyeh 5332 A L - H A S A K E H A L E P P O A R - R A Q Q A D E I R - E Z - Z O R H A M A H O M S Deir-ez- Zor

8 SOUTH Syria: Food, Water and Mobile Data Dar`a, Quneitra, Rural Damascus governorates (communities not considered besieged) CURRENCY 534 /USD 12 Median exchange rates* N/A /TRY 735 /JOD 15 *No exchange rate data reported from included Rural Damascus communities. Median /USD exchange rate No data No data Food item prices FOOD ITEMS Noteworthy price changes since April: Onions (-5%) Cucumbers (-47%) Potatoes (-4%) Eggs (-11%) Salt (+33%) The price of cucumbers, onions and potatoes declined in every assessed subdistrict in the south in May. The median price of tomatoes decreased in all but four subdistricts: As-Sanamayn, Jasim, Hrak, and Quneitra. The FAO has indicated harvest season for cucumbers, onions, potatoes and tomatoes should begin in June. The mean price increase in salt was 18 per subdistrict. The remaining 11 assessed food items reported median price changes of 1% or less from last month. Red lentiles were reported unavailable in Jizeh, but this shortage was not confirmed. Eleven out of 17 subdistricts in the south reported price data for every assessed item. No flour prices were reported from Khan Arnaba, Al-Khashniyyeh or any Rural Damascus subdistrict. Furthermore, no Rural Damascus subdistrict reported milk prices. WATER The median rate for private water trucking services in May was.45 per litre of water, as has been the case since coverage began in February 217. Mzeireb subdistrict reported the lowest median rate at.3 per litre, and Babella subdistrict reported the highest median rates at 1. per litre. Median bread prices () No data No data MOBILE DATA The median rate for a gigabyte of data in May was reported at 3,286, a 286 increase from April. How to read a box plot Tea prices 4 9 ($.29) Maximum price in data set () Upper quartile: 25% of the data is above this point Median price in data set ( and USD) Lower quartile: 25% of the data is below this point Minimum price in data set () Water trucking prices ($2.25) 1 ($2.6) Eggs (3 eggs) Ghee 9 85 ($1.69) 8 ($1.4) 65 Chicken Vegetable Oil ($1.3) ($.) Rice Red Lentils ($.73) Sugar 3 ($.66) ($.45) ($.4) 125 Tomatoes Potatoes Cucumbers ($.39) Flour ($.37) Bulgur ($.37) Milk 23 ($.28) 9 5 ($.19) 5 ($.19) Onions (8 slices) Salt 3 Tea 4 ($7.86) Water.45 ($.8) 8

9 SOUTH Syria: Fuel, NFIs, Availability Issues and SMEBs Dar`a, Quneitra, Rural Damascus governorates (communities not considered besieged) Median LP gas prices () FUEL The median price of manually refined petrol across southern Syria declined by 11% (5 ) in May. The median price for the remaining four fuel items did not change by more than 6% from the previous month. Although individual subdistricts reported difficulties in accessing either the manually refined or government-produced versions of Fuel prices petrol or diesel, all subdistricts reported access to a version of the fuel items in their communities. No community reported access to manually refined kerosene in the south, as it is reportedly used rarely in the region. HYGIENE AND SANITATION ITEMS The median prices of all assessed hygiene and sanitation items did not significantly change in May. The greatest change was a 14% (5 ) increase in the median price of dishwashing liquid, with all remaining assessed items changing less than 1% from the previous month. All assessed hygiene and sanitation items except dishwashing liquid were reported available in every subdistrict. Price data for dishwashing liquid was not collected in five subdistricts in Rural Damascus and Dar a governorates. Sanitation and hygiene item prices 9 AVAILABILITY ISSUES Red lentils Unavailable in Jizeh SMEB (SURVIVAL MINIMUM EXPENDITURE BASKET) The median cost of a complete SMEB in southern Syria was 72,311 ( USD). A 3% decrease in the median cost was observed in the 14 subdistricts which reported complete SMEBs in April and May. Complete SMEBs could be assembled for 16 of 17 assessed subdistricts in southern Syria in May. Additional information on prices, shortages and price changes of SMEB items can be found in the gray sidebar to the right. Selected subdistrict SMEBs in May Most expensive Dar a (77,371, USD) Mzeireb (76,384, USD) Da el (,94, USD) Least expensive Kisweh (67,289, USD) Qudsiya (68,114, USD) Nawa (68,895, USD) Subdistricts with incomplete SMEBs in May Subdistrict Jizeh Missing items Red Lentils Note: Note: A lack of data for a SMEB item does not necessarily imply a shortage of that item, and can merely indicates that operational constraints limited complete coverage in the community. Price () LP Gas 413 ($.77) ($.) 39 2 ($.) ($.65) ($.45) No Info Kerosene Price () Laundry Powder 55 ($1.2) 65 ($.66) Dishwashing Liquid Sanitary Pads (1 pack) ($.66) ($.56) 167 Toothpaste ( g) ($.19) 5 Bathing Soap (1 bar) Largest changes in monthly SMEB costs Khan Arnaba ( 13%) Da el ( 11%) Mseifra ( 7%) 9

10 SOUTH Syria: SMEB Prices Dar`a, Quneitra, Rural Damascus governorates Complete SMEB SMEB without bread SMEB without chicken SMEB without red lentils SMEB without eggs SMEB without sanitary pads SMEB without multiple items Darker shades of blue indicate more expensive complete SMEBs. Quneitra Al- Khashniyyeh 7142 Khan Arnaba 711 Jasim Qudsiya D A M A S C U S As- Sanamayn Yarmuk 7487 Arbin Babella 7857 Kisweh Kafr Batna 2113 R U R A L D A M A S C U S Q U N E I T R A Nawa Mzeireb D A R ' A Da'el 94 Dar'a Kherbet Ghazala Hrak Mseifra A S - S W E I D A Jizeh Busra Esh-Sham 677 1

11 Besieged Commmunities and Appendix Overview Syria Market Monitoring Exercise partners collect data from eight currently besieged communities across three subdistricts. Subdistrict Deir-ez-Zor Kafr Batna Arbin APPENDIX Assessed Communities Joura and Qusour Saqba, Ein Terma, Hammura, Jisrein, Beit Sawa, Kafr Batna Arbin Partial SMEB costs in May Deir-ez-Zor (354,84, USD) Arbin (217,538, USD) Kafr Batna (217,513, USD) WHAT IS THE CASH-BASED RESPONSES TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP? The Technical Working Group (CBR TWG) was established in March 214 to analyse the impact of the ongoing conflict on markets in Syria and guide the implementation of humanitarian cash and voucher programmes within those markets. REACH and the CBR TWG have been partners on the Syria Market Monitoring Exercise since early 215. Since February 217, the excercise expanded coverage into the South, bringing monthly market assessments to BESIEGED COMMUNITIES 2% 2% 1% The costs of all SMEBs in besieged areas changed by less than 3% in May. Missing SMEB Items* Subdistrict Deir-ez-Zor Arbin and Kafr Batna Item SMEB: Chicken, Fresh Vegetables, Red Lentils, Sugar, Toothpaste, Sanitary Pads Other items: Flour, Milk, Dishwashing Liquid, LP Gas SMEB: Chicken Other items: Flour, Tea, Milk, Dishwashing Liquid *The availability of all missing items except dishwashing liquid and LP gas from Deir-ez-Zor and Kafr Batna subdistricts could be assessed through price data triangulation from the monthly Community Profile Assessments in these communities. 1 Using this data, shortages for all remaining missing items in Deir-ez-Zor could be confirmed, and availability of all remaining missing items in Kafr Batna could be established. 1 Eastern Ghouta and Deir-ez-Zor Community Profile Update May 217 (forthcoming). communities in Damascus, Rural Damascus, Dar a and Quneitra governorates. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON METHODOLOGY To be included in the Syria Market Monitoring Exercise, markets must be permanent in nature, large enough to support at least two wholesalers, and diverse enough to provide a sufficient variety of goods and commodities. The shops surveyed within each market must be housed in permanent structures and must sell certain items to be eligible for inclusion. Enumerators from participating organisations train their enumerators on the Market Monitoring methodology and data collection tools using standard training materials developed by REACH. Each enumerator aims to assess three to five shops of each type in the main market in their assigned subdistrict, using surveys to collect information about prices, current product inventory and the time needed to replace current stocks. In subdistricts where direct surveying by enumerators is not possible, such as Lattakia and Deir-ez-Zor, data collection is conducted remotely through key informants such as shop owners, suppliers and consumers. Five survey forms are deployed on KoBo each month to capture price and stock information from different types of establishments, including grocery stores, fuel traders, currency exchange shops, water trucking services and mobile phone shops, among others. Nearly all participating partners submit their data to these KoBo forms, using the KoBoCollect Android app to upload data. A small number of partners, by prior permission, collect data using fully harmonised data collection tools deployed on other platforms, then submit their raw data to REACH for standardisation, compilation and cleaning. Following data collection, REACH compiles and cleans all partners data, normalising prices and cross-checking outliers. The cleaned data is then analysed by commodity and by subdistrict. Prices are divided into quartiles and boxplots are created to help CBR TWG members understand the distribution of prices. To illustrate local variations in prices and availability, REACH uses the collected data to map the price of an SMEB in each subdistrict. The cleaned data sets are available on the REACH Resource Centre and are distributed to all participating partners, as well as to interested clusters and the broader humanitarian community. CALCULATION OF SURVIVAL MINIMUM EXPENDITURE BASKET (SMEB) COSTS The cost of a SMEB is calculated for each assessed subdistrict by calculating the median price of each SMEB commodity in that subdistrict, then multiplying these medians by the number of units that an average Syrian household must purchase in a month. The composition of the SMEB can be found on page 1. ABOUT REACH INITIATIVE REACH is a joint initiative of two international non-governmental organizations ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives and the UN Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT). REACH s mission is to strengthen evidence-based decision making by aid actors through efficient data collection, management and analysis before, during and after an emergency. By doing so, REACH contributes to ensuring that communities affected by emergencies receive the support they need. All REACH activities are conducted in support to and within the framework of inter-agency aid coordination mechanisms. For more information, please visit our website at contact us directly at geneva@reach-initiative.org or follow us on Twitter 11