Sudan’s El Gezira wheat area falls 47% amid rising input costs, financing constraints

SUDAN – The area dedicated to wheat cultivation in Sudan’s vast El Gezira and Managil agricultural scheme, located between the Blue and White Nile in the area south of Khartoum, has halved in recent years, according to the governor of the El Gezira agricultural scheme, Ibrahim Mustafa.

Wheat acreage has dropped from an estimated 400,000 feddans (acres) to 210,000 feddans, roughly a 47 % reduction, driven by prohibitive production input costs and acute financing difficulties for farmers.

Mustafa said the decline reflects broader structural challenges within the scheme, historically one of Africa’s largest gravity-irrigated projects located between the Blue and White Nile south of Khartoum.

He attributed the contraction to rising prices for seeds, fertilisers and fuel, and to a lack of accessible credit for smallholders and commercial operators alike.

Speaking at a press conference in Barakat near Wad Madani, the governor outlined components of the scheme’s plan for the upcoming season. These include appointing a commissioner for El Gezira’s assets, finalising a board of directors, and continuing the formation of professional agricultural production associations.

Mustafa stressed these measures are intended to support administrative efforts to stabilise output and strengthen food availability within Sudan.

He announced that 9,000 acres would be reserved specifically for improved seed production to supply the next season, and that efforts are underway to disinfect irrigation canals and provide fuel to sustain winter season operations.

The scheme is also tendering rehabilitation work for the irrigation system and legal clearances, and securing financing for the Al-Junaid wellway, which is to be rehabilitated by an Austrian company to improve irrigation in eastern sections.

Mustafa reaffirmed plans to encourage investment from domestic and international entities, including firms from China and Türkiye, to support the scheme’s recovery.

Farmers describe crisis on the ground

A report by Maab Al-Mirghani of Jubraka News for Sudan Media Forum carried by Radio Dabanga in July 2025, reported that the agricultural sector in the Managil Extension Project in El Gezira state is experiencing a critical phase.

Farmers expressed a painful reality embodied by the significant increase in input prices, lack of financing, and the collapse of irrigation systems, which have led to a decline in production and an alarming decrease in cultivated areas.

Producers in eastern islands say wheat cultivation has become untenable due to a lack of fertiliser, seeds, and official support, forcing many to shift to vegetable farming.

According to farmers, there are no accurate statistics on the areas planted, but all indicators point to a sharp decline.

Another farmer from the Kuwait District Office described precipitous drops in yields for beans, corn and wheat, contrasting recent outputs with past seasons and noting the collapse of pre-war credit arrangements with the Agricultural Bank.

Rising input costs, canal siltation and damage, and irregular irrigation deliveries have exacerbated the downturn.

Hussein Saad, a former farmer in the Gezira region and a member of the Gezira and Managil Farmers’ Alliance, also highlighted the depth of the crisis, emphasising that conditions were much better in times of peace.

He told Jubraka News, “Before the war, the price of a bag of fertiliser did not exceed 20,000 Egyptian pounds, but now it has jumped to 120,000 Egyptian pounds. The cost of preparing one acre with tractors has increased from less than 10,000 Egyptian pounds to about 30,000 Egyptian pounds.”

The last robust agricultural performance occurred during the transitional government of 2019–2021, when 500,000 acres were planted with wheat and average yields reached as high as 17 sacks per acre.

However, subsequent policy missteps and financing irregularities reportedly pushed many growers into debt, with the Agricultural Bank pursuing repayments even as production collapsed.

The war that erupted in 2023 has compounded these issues. Irrigation canals have filled with weed and silt, machinery and inputs have been looted, and multiple seasons have passed with incomplete or failed harvests.

According to the officials, the scheme traditionally accounted for a substantial share of Sudan’s irrigated wheat production, and broader declines in cultivation could increase reliance on imports.

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