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7 August 2024 (Port Sudan) – Sudan’s ongoing conflict has cast a shadow over the country’s 2024 cereal harvest, raising alarm over food security in a country already struggling with soaring food prices and mass displacement, FAO said in a brief report on Wednesday.
“Planting of the 2024 cereal crops will be completed by mid-August, with harvesting starting in November 2024. Weather conditions have been generally favourable so far, favouring planting operations,” the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
However, the spread of conflict into the main producing areas in the southeast, coupled with severe restrictions on land access in Sennar, White Nile and Blue Nile states, and continued shortages of agricultural inputs are expected to severely impact production. The report highlights that many large farmers have been forced to flee the country, further exacerbating the situation.
The 2023 planting season has already been severely affected by the conflict, with cereal production down 46 percent compared to the previous year. The government-led annual Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission estimates 2023 cereal production at just 4.1 million tonnes, 40 percent below the five-year average.
In the Al-Jazirah region, Sudan’s breadbasket, the area of cultivated land in the Al-Manaqil and Al-Musallamiya districts this summer has dropped by 72 percent compared to last year. While the army controls eight districts in the region, including Al-Manaqil, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controls the remaining ten districts. The paramilitary group has been accused of looting vital agricultural resources, including machinery, seeds and fertilizers.
To alleviate the crisis, FAO is assisting 1.8 million farming households in 17 states with seeds, locust control, livestock support and basic farming equipment. However, the impact of the conflict on agricultural production, coupled with limited financial and logistical capacity, has raised concerns about Sudan’s ability to meet its projected cereal import needs of 3.38 million tonnes in 2024.
The conflict has also led to a sharp increase in cereal prices, which had previously been rising due to macroeconomic challenges. Prices of domestically produced sorghum and millet, and most imported wheat, have more than doubled in almost all monitored markets since the outbreak of hostilities in March 2023. These record high prices, combined with reduced household purchasing power due to the conflict’s impact on employment, have severely limited food access for millions of Sudanese.
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