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August 6, 2024 (AL MANAQIL) – The Al Jazirah and Al Manaqil Farmers Union reported on Tuesday that agricultural production in Sudan’s key Al Jazirah project has dropped by 72 percent compared to the previous season due to the ongoing conflict.
The project is Sudan’s largest irrigated agriculture scheme and consists of 18 districts. Most of the districts are controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while the Al Manaqil district is controlled by the army.
The alliance said that the cultivated area in Al Manaqil this season is only 22% of the 1 million acres in previous years. The area planted with cotton, corn, peanuts and vegetables is currently 27,652 acres, down from 123,699 acres in the previous season.
In the RSF-controlled Al Musallamiya area, cultivated land has dropped to just 6 percent, or 3,500 acres, compared to 55,900 acres previously.
Mohsen Al-Naama, a member of the alliance’s secretariat, described the drop in food production as “horrifying” and blamed conflict, attacks on agricultural areas, displacement of farmers and the plundering of resources. He warned that famine was imminent due to the sharp drop in food production.
Nama reported extensive damage to warehouses, irrigation systems and agricultural machinery, as well as the looting of seeds and fertilizers, and estimated that more than 90 percent of the project’s workforce, more than 5 million people, were affected.
Ibrahim Mustafa, head of the Al Jazira project, confirmed that the area of arable land had been significantly reduced and accused the rapid security forces of destroying vital infrastructure.
According to the alliance, the conflict has also displaced residents, leaving only the poorest farmers and workers in Gezira province. All agricultural activities have stopped and the main canal in Sennar has been turned into a military zone.
The coalition also reported a surge in commodity prices in Al Manakil, with the cost of staples such as corn, beans and sugar more than doubling in recent months.
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