“I only like to eat Wazef, so when I go to the market, I look for the finest and best types, but the price has become fantastically high”; With these words, Nabil Abd Rabbo, commenced his speech to "Khuyut", while touring a popular market in Lahj Governorate (southern Yemen).
“Wazef” is defined as small dried sardine fish, and sold by Saa’ (a measure or unit of volume), and it has a favorite taste for many Yemenis in many areas of the governorates of Lahj and Taiz, and some areas of the nearby governorates, such as Ibb.
With the deterioration of the living conditions in Yemen, due to the war and the ongoing conflict in the country, and the shrinking of food options for Yemenis, the “Wazef” has become of great importance and has become a major choice for many citizens, while the Wazef was previously known as the meat or meal of the poor.
The researcher specializing in social economics and professor of development and population at the University of Aden, Nadher Kulaib, said in a statement to "Khuyut", that the substance of Wazef has remained, throughout the past times and stages, the main meal for the poor and those with limited income. However, its high price in recent times has deprived many families of this meal that has accompanied them since decades, especially in the countryside where fresh meat, such as fish and chicken, does not reach continuously in the local areas, such as Al-Subiha and Al-Qubaita in Lahj governorate and Al-Hujaria (south of Taiz governorate).
Variety of Types and Prices
The price hikes that Yemen has been witnessing recently did not stop at the limits of the prices of basic and consumer foodstuffs. Rather, it affected some other commodities and materials, such as “Wazef”, whose prices have recently risen significantly, as confirmed by spice dealers and sellers of Wazef in popular markets.
According to the sellers of Wazf in the city of Lahj, “Al-Wazef” is extracted from the coasts of Ras Al-Arah in the district of Al-Mudharaba, Khor Al-Umaira and Al-Suqia on the western coast of Lahj governorate, and the coasts of Shuqra and Ahwar from Abyan governorate. In the event that there is a decrease in the levels of its extraction, quantities of it are imported from Somalia.
The price of one 50-kilogram package reaches more than 200,000 riyals (about $200, according to the exchange rate in the internationally recognized government regions), while the price of a Saa’ 250-gram package reaches 2,500 Yemeni riyals.
Mutahar Al-Nashiri, a seller of "Wazef" in a popular market in the city of Lahj (southern Yemen), assures "Khuyut" that the Wazef is a popular commodity in Lahj and Taiz, especially in rural areas who buy it for its low price and special taste as the most important element of food for poor families.
Al-Nashiri enumerates the different types of Wazef, contrary to what some believe that it is only one type, as there are many types, including: “Al-Birman” and “Al-Aida”, and there is another category known as “Al-Sweida Al-Saghir”, as well as “Al-Suwayda Al-Kabeer”, so the best types are Al-Wazef, according to Al-Nashiri’s statement, is “Al-Birman”; Because it is clean and free of impurities and pebbles that are attached to it when dried after being caught directly from the sea.
Its importance and places of extraction
According to the sellers of Wazf in the city of Lahj, “Al-Wazef” is extracted from the coasts of Ras Al-Arah in the district of Al-Mudharaba, Khor Al-Umaira and Al-Suqia on the western coast of Lahj governorate, and the coasts of Shuqra and Ahwar from Abyan governorate. In the event that there is a decrease in the levels of its extraction, quantities of it are imported from Somalia.
With the exacerbation of living crises, many people hope that such material will be available at reasonable prices according to what they are accustomed to, which has become a main meal for some poor families who cannot buy fish, meat, chicken and other foods, which makes the “Wazef” one of the options they turn to and are keen on its presence on their tables.
According to UN reports, the war in Yemen since 2015 has created a global humanitarian crisis, with two thirds of the country's population in need of emergency assistance, while more than 4 million internally displaced people have become without housing or food.
In the same context, the World Food Program (WFP) reduced its food aid to Yemen during the current year as a result of the decrease in donor support for the continuation of the program's relief and humanitarian activities.
