Page 45 - AA 2023 Year Book Website

Sudan

ABOVE AVERAGE CEREAL PRODUCTION IN 2022 DUE TO

FAVOURABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS

According to the findings of the an- 2023 as prices dropped on the interna-
nual FAO Crop and Food Supply Assess- tional market. In February 2023, prices
ment Mission (CFSAM), the 2022 aggre- of imported wheat in Khartoum were
gate production of sorghum, millet and about 10 percent below the elevated
wheat is estimated at about 7.4 million values of one year earlier.
tonnes, about 45 percent above the out- The high level of food prices is mainly
put obtained in the previous year and 13 due to the continuous depreciation of
percent above the average of the previ- the national currency and high costs of
ous five years. production due to soaring prices of ag-
ricultural inputs.
Critical food security situation
due to multiple shocks

According to the results of the latest
Integrated Food Security Phase Classifi-
cation (IPC) analysis, about 7.74 million
people (16 percent of the analysed pop-
ulation) were estimated to be severely
acutely food insecure (IPC Phase 3 [Cri-
sis] and Phase 4 [Emergency]) between
October 2022 and February 2023. This The highest prevalence of food inse-
The 2022 rainy season was charac- figure includes about 6.19 million peo- curity is reported in Kassala, Blue Nile,
terized by above average precipitation ple in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) and 1.55 mil- Central, West and North Darfur states.
amounts and by an overall even tem- lion in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) levels In these areas, between 20 and 33 per-
poral distribution, with some localized of acute food insecurity and it is about cent of the population is estimated to be
flooding in August and short dry spells 30 percent higher on a yearly basis. severely acutely food insecure. In addi-
in September and October. Middle and tion, about 13 percent of the population
late season rains were generally favour- The main drivers are macroeconomic of Khartoum State is estimated to face
able and benefited crops that were re- challenges resulting in rampant food severe acute food insecurity, mainly as a
planted in the areas affected by the and non food inflation, and the escala- consequence of significant food access
floods. tion of intercommunal violence, mainly constraints for market dependent urban
in Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan
Most agricultural inputs, including regions, and in Kassala State. households.
fertilizers, herbicides, agricultural ma-
chinery and labour, were available, but
at very high prices, which increased sig-
nificantly production costs.
Production of wheat, harvested in
March 2023, is estimated at about 476
000 tonnes, about 30 percent below the
previous year’s average output, reflect-
ing reduced plantings in favour of le-
gumes and spices.
Cereal prices at very high levels
Prices of sorghum and millet declined
by 20–45 percent between October
and December 2022 with the commer-
cialization of the newly harvested 2022
crops. Subsequently, prices of sorghum
seasonally increased by 5 20 percent
between December 2022 and Febru-
ary 2023, while prices of millet followed
mixed trends. In February 2023, prices
of coarse grains were up to twice their
already elevated year earlier values.
Prices of imported wheat, mainly con-
sumed in urban areas, declined in the
capital, Khartoum, by about 20 percent
between August 2022 and February
Arab Agriculture 2023 43