Kadugli , June 3(Darfur 24)
In the midst of the hunger crisis unfolding in Sudan, as a result of the failure of the previous agricultural season due to insecurity and the high prices of seeds and fertilizers, indicators have shown that the agricultural season which begins this June is likely to fail.
Abdulazim Mansour, a farmer in the Abu Jubaiha area in South Kordofan State, said that this season is different from any previous season, as the widespread pests and locusts that could threaten the agricultural season have not been controlled, not to mention the lack of security and other arrangements such as fuel.
He indicated, while speaking to “Darfur 24,” that they discussed the issue of combating locusts with the Plant Protection Department, which expressed readiness to combat them, but due to the war and the lack of fuel and pesticides, they were not implemented, stressing that the impact of the locust spread has become clear on the production of mangoes and citrus fruits from orchards.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on March 20 that Sudan’s grain production had declined by 46% due to insecurity, the limited availability of agricultural inputs, and their high prices.
Mansour spoke of the conviction of many farmers of the futility of farming this season, even if they were funded, due to the spread of locusts that reduced the production of the previous season.
Mansour expected entrepreneurs to stop farming this season due to the spread of armed militias in agricultural lands.
Financing crises
Abdul Azim Mansour said that the problems of agriculture before the war were financing, seeds, and technical issues, as financing was almost limited to owners of large projects, among us small farmers who could not find financing.
He continued: “For this season, no bank has expressed its willingness to finance farmers, and no financing plan has been developed due to the war.”
Regarding fuel, Abdel Azim said that it is commercially available in Abu Jubaiha, where it is transported from Port Sudan to the region, so that obtaining it is an individual matter, and the price of a barrel of gasoline has reached 458 thousand Sudanese pounds.
In turn, the farmer in Al-Tadamon locality in South Kordofan state, Al-Toum Al-Birir, stressed that the arrangements for this season are very weak, after the Agricultural Bank left the financing service from the previous season.
Al-Barir told “Darfur 24”: “Until now there is no body supporting the agricultural sector to provide seeds, and there is no support for fuel and it is not available.”
Al-Birir stressed that the costs of agriculture are very high, as one barrel of gas ranges between 500,000 and 600,000 pounds.
He expected the cultivated area to shrink to half or less compared to the previous season.
absence of security
Al-Tom Al-Birir pointed out that the war affected the agricultural sector by 75%, at the level of large farmers, due to the high costs of agriculture, the scarcity of fuel, its increased prices, and the unavailability of seeds.
Regarding the security situation, Al-Tom said that security is almost non-existent in the eastern region, due to the presence of bandits and the increasing phenomenon of looting.
The farmer in the Habila region, Abu Bakr Madi Shaqa, reported that there are no arrangements for the agricultural season in the Habila region, as there are no seeds and no fuel.
Shaqqa told “Darfur 24” that they formed a committee of farmers, which met with the commander of the army base in Dalami, to discuss the farmers’ plan to provide fuel and seeds and secure the season, but he did not respond to them.
Shaqqa confirmed that there is no bank to finance the agricultural season, as they previously relied on bank branches in the city of Dilling, which have become out of service.
He continued: “There are efforts by farmers with large projects in Al-Obeid and Al-Rahad to cultivate this season, but the roads are cut off due to the presence of the Rapid Support Forces on the Amrawaba and Al-Rahad roads.”
The concern of insecurity will remain one of the biggest obstacles to agriculture this season in South Kordofan State, in addition to the lack of funding, the unavailability of seeds and fuel, and their high prices, which portends the failure of the season.