OMDURMAN, Sudan (AP) — Sudan’s farmers are being squeezed by a new conflict in the Middle East just as they try to recover from the war that already drove them off their land, wrecked production and left millions hungry. Two years after Sudan’s war forced Omer al-Hassan from his land, he returned to rebuild his farm, only to face rising fuel and fertilizer prices that are pushing him deeper into financial loss and food insecurity.
Who Pays When Power Moves
Al-Hassan said the Iran war has “affected everything related to agriculture” as he and other farmers pulled onions from the ground after two months clearing weed-choked land. He said they had “plowed the soil and we said God bless, and even then we struggled so much, one had to sometimes skip a meal.” He and 10 other farmers who work his land said they cannot handle agricultural costs without government support, forcing cuts in production and rationing of fertilizer on his farm, which also produces potatoes and tomatoes.
Another farmer, Mohammed al-Badri, said he could afford to plant only half his farm because of rising costs: “The rest of it is nothing.” Farmers already stressed by the war at home between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are now watching costs rise for fertilizer, gasoline to power farm equipment and diesel for irrigation pumps. The Gulf region, where hundreds of commercial ships have been stranded for weeks because of Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, provides over half of Sudan’s fertilizer that is imported by sea. Fuel prices have shot up by around 30%, and food prices in Sudan are jumping too.
Sorghum, millet and sesame are now at risk. Abdoun Berqawi, a farmer in Gezira, one of the country’s main food-producing regions, said the rising costs have created “a dangerous reality” for farmers who will struggle without government intervention. He said a 50-kilogram (110-pound) bag of urea fertilizer now costs about $50, up from $11 the same period last year, and fuel for tractors has risen from $2.50 to $8 per gallon.
The Bottom of the Chain
Merghany Omar, a farmer in al-Matammah in River Nile province, said farmers who took bank loans risk jail if poor crop yields leave them unable to repay. He said onion farming, a local staple, no longer covers planting costs there. Samy Guessabi, country director for Action Against Hunger in Sudan, said all of this is occurring alongside existing vulnerabilities including currency depreciation. He said people in some of the country’s most remote areas — Kordofan, White Nile, Darfur and Blue Nile — are hurting the most where “agricultural zones are remote and poorly connected.”
Even in Sudan’s urban areas, vegetables and dairy have risen by about 40% due to fuel price spikes. The U.N. World Food Program estimates that 19 million people across Sudan are facing acute hunger, with many families on the brink of famine. Last year, famine was declared in two major regions, Darfur and Kordofan. Now, the humanitarian response has been badly delayed by the Iran war and its effects on supply chains.
The WFP said its Sudan-bound food assistance shipments are traveling 9,000 kilometers (5,500 miles) farther to reach their destination, adding costs and time. That is in part because many vessels also avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, another crucial waterway, according to WFP shipping chief Henrik Hansen. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have threatened some shipping there.
What the Institutions Say — and Don’t Say
Officials in Sudan’s agriculture ministry did not immediately respond to requests for details on how they are addressing the crisis. A member of the military media accompanied the AP during its visit, including during interviews. The AP retains full editorial control of its content.
Melaku Yirga, Mercy Corps vice president for the Africa region, said the Iran war has triggered a “dangerous chain reaction ... at the wrong moment” as farmers prepare for planting season. He recently visited Sudan’s provinces of Kassala and Gedaref, another top food-producing region. “People are buying less food, cutting or skipping meals, selling assets and taking greater risks just to survive,” Yirga said. “Mothers are being forced to make painful choices about who gets to eat the little food that is available, while some families are resorting to leaves or animal feed just to get by.”
Mubarak al-Nour, a farmer and former parliamentarian in Gedaref, said even if farmers in Sudan secure fertilizer, delays mean they could miss the planting season that runs from June to November. Some farmers are switching to growing cheaper crops that require less or no fertilizer and scaling back on growing corn, sesame and other rain-fed crops. Even if farming supplies reach Sudan in time, the battle is not over. Fuel shortages in some areas are the result of warring parties blocking essential supplies, said Mathilde Vu, an advocacy manager with the Norwegian Refugee Council. She said local fuel markets have been heavily bombed in recent months amid a “senseless escalation” of drone attacks nationwide.
The article was written by Yassir Abdalla, Fatma Khaled and Fay Abuelgasim. Khaled reported from Cairo.