Sudan’s agricultural sector, the backbone of the nation, is facing the risk of a total collapse. As the summer farming season approaches, experts and officials have warned that persistent conflict, a lack of financial resources, and skyrocketing production costs are combining to expose the country to an unprecedented hunger crisis. They indicated that the window of opportunity to avert a famine is rapidly closing.
According to the latest report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the expected cereal production for the 2025/2026 season is projected to decrease by 22% compared to last year. This decline is not merely a numerical change; it directly threatens the survival of **28.9 million people—approximately 61.7% of the Sudanese population.
This downfall is clearly visible across various regions of the country. Due to ongoing warfare, the vast farmlands of Kordofan and Al-Jazirah, previously known as the country’s breadbasket, have been rendered out of service. The cessation of production in these areas has put immense pressure on agricultural projects in northern and eastern Sudan; however, these regions lack the infrastructure and capacity to compensate for the massive losses incurred.
The crisis has been further exacerbated by the breakdown of the country’s financial system. Sources from the Agricultural Bank of Sudan told the Sudan Tribune that a shortage of liquidity has paralyzed efforts to provide essential inputs. While the Central Bank claims to be making preparations, it is reported that no practical steps have been taken yet to provide the seeds, fertilizer, or fuel required for the season.
Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture also openly admitted that they are struggling to manage the season properly, expressing fears that this will create a significant gap in sorghum and sesame production.
Prominent agricultural and economic expert Garic Kambal criticized the government’s response to the crisis as a “total failure,” accusing the Ministry of Agriculture of being “unrealistic.” Kambal warned that “the outlook for the current and future production seasons is grim,” adding that “the government is practically punishing the farmers who are trying to feed the nation.”
He criticized the government for imposing new taxes and doubling the cost of production inputs within a war economy. In regions like White Nile and Kordofan, the price of a barrel of diesel has surpassed 2 million Sudanese pounds. Farmers, already hit by consecutive production failures, cannot bear these costs.
The scale of the agricultural sector’s decline is alarming. Experts estimate that the land currently under cultivation in Sudan is only 35% of what it was before the war. In other words, 60% of the farmland has been rendered completely useless. For instance, the Al-Jazirah Scheme, once the jewel of Sudan’s irrigated agriculture, now sees more than half of its land left unsown. Unless there is an urgent policy shift, tax reductions, and financial support, the threat of famine facing 25 million people may become irreversible.
