The United Nations (UN) warned that the food crisis in Sudan will worsen in the coming months as the population threatened by famine doubles. According to his forecasts, more than 18 million people will be affected by the problem by September next year.
“There are worrying signs that access, affordability and availability of food is shrinking for most people in Sudan, pushing more people into poverty and hunger,” said Eddie Rowe, the African country’s World Food Program (WFP) representative.
According to the report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the WFP, a combination of factors will make this crisis worse. One is internal displacement, such as that resulting from conflicts in Darfur and the Kordofan region, which have damaged farms and caused widespread unemployment.
Because of this, it is estimated that local grain production will reach 5.1 million tons in the 2021-2022 farming season, which would meet the needs of less than two-thirds of the population.
Other factors complicating this picture are the economic crisis and the devaluation of the Sudanese pound, exacerbated by the rise in food and transport prices due to the conflict in Ukraine. As Sudan depends on imported wheat from the Black Sea region, disrupting the flow will double the increases. Currently the cost per ton is $550, up 180% from last year.
In this sense, Babagana Ahmadu, FAO representative in Sudan, pointed out that “rising food prices and shortages of essential agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and seeds mean that farmers have no choice but to stop producing food when they cannot receive immediate support. He added that “this is likely to have serious consequences, not only for their food security but also for food availability in Sudan,” which “may ultimately lead to more conflict and displacement.”
For his part, Rowe added that this combination of factors will mean more families will struggle to access basic necessities as they become “a luxury for millions”. He also regretted that WFP does not have the resources to attend to everyone’s needs.
Meanwhile, the FAO, which supported 1.5 million people in Sudan in 2021, estimates it will need $51.4 million this year to help two million families devoted to agriculture and livestock.