INTRODUCTION
The Liberia Market Information System (LMIS) is a component of the Liberia Food Security Monitoring System (FSNMS), a key deliverable of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) under the national Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). The FSNMS is coordinated by the Food Security and Nutrition Secretariat at MoA, with technical support from World Food Programme. Its purpose is to monitor and analyze commodity prices in order to inform stakeholders: of food price changes over time, at different locations and in different seasons; and how prices of staples change relative to other local commodities that are key sources of income for vulnerable households.
Prices are collected by county staff of the Liberia Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) in 10 markets in 9 different counties. These markets are located in Foya and Voinjama (Lofa county), Gbarnga (Bong county), Saclepea (Nimba county), Zwedru (Grand Gedeh county), Buchanan (Grand Bassa county) Pleebo (Maryland county), Bo-waterside (Grand Cape Mount county), Tubmanburg (Bomi county), and include Red Light market in Greater Monrovia. They were selected for being important food markets. Prices of rice are collected from 'retailers', i.e. traders that buy directly from importers in Monrovia and sell per bag to consumers or to 'semi-retailers' (the latter then sell to consumers in small quantities using non-standard units). Prices of rice are therefore expressed for a 50Kg bag, and aggregated in three separate categories, namely 'butter', parboiled and 'other'. Prices of other commodities are also collected from retailers who sell per bag (cassava, charcoal) or per gallon (palm oil, cane juice). All these prices are intermediary between what the producers receive at the farm gate and what most consumers pay when they purchase in smaller units. However, for some commodities (cocoa, coffee, rubber), prices are gathered from collection points and represent therefore the price received by producers. Finally, local exchange rates between the US and Liberian dollar, the price of fuel per gallon and the prevalent, urban and rural, wage rate are also collected at each market.
Highlights
- Relatively stable prices of rice with the exception of Pleebo Market (Maryland). The latter recorded a steep increase in price between June and September 2009 and a related decline in terms of trade;
- Bad road conditions during the rain season are responsible for the high price differentials between Monrovia, the main entry port for all rice imports, and far off markets (Foya, Pllebo);
- Downward prices expected in the coming months due to the arrival of the new harvest.
