This year’s production may exceed one million tons in the center of the country, while Sudan’s consumption of wheat exceeds two million (2 million tons) annually. Difference state by import.
Official statistics say that it is expected to produce 6 to 8 million sacks in the state of Gezira alone – central Sudan – where the Gezira project is located. Harvesting the yellow crop is nearing completion in an area of 423 thousand acres, a percentage that includes the Gezira and the conveyors here. sacks for the first time in the history of the project, while the average productivity in the whole project ranged between 18-20 sacks per feddan.
A quick tour of the wheat-producing areas this year indicates that in the White Nile State, the total area cultivated with wheat amounted to eighty-one thousand eight hundred and three feddans (81803), with an average productivity of 14.3 joules per feddan. While the total area cultivated with wheat in the state of Sennar: Central Sudan, 1530 feddans, distributed among the three irrigated projects in the state, including Sennar 255 feddans, Al-Wefaq Company 1200, and Al-Ramash Company 75 feddans.
In northern Sudan, 133,000 feddans were cultivated in the northern state, north of Khartoum, with an average yield of 17 sacks per acre, while some projects in the state produced 32-30 sacks, while 66,435 acres were cultivated in Kassala, eastern Sudan, with an average productivity of nine sacks.
In the River Nile State, the areas of wheat cultivation amounted to 43 thousand acres, and the average productivity of an acre was 25 sacks. In addition to wheat cultivation in the winter, the Nile River State is famous for growing Egyptian beans, chickpeas, garlic, fennel, vegetables, fodder, and potatoes in addition to horticultural crops, but it attributed the success of the winter agricultural season to the cold weather and the absence of Season of insect and plant pests.
In terms of receiving the strategic crop from farmers, the state has set a concentrated price for purchasing the crop, which is 3,500 pounds per bag (about 35 US dollars), in order to encourage the product and benefit from the crop as a strategic stock.
Therefore, Dr. Abdullah Hamdouk, the Prime Minister, formed a supreme committee for the success of the agricultural season, from which committees emerged in the wheat-producing states to follow up on the wheat-growing season and provide a timely solution to the challenges and dilemmas facing the progress of harvesting operations, and to avoid them in a timely manner.
The committee’s work yielded success in cultivating the wheat crop, as farmers faced challenges at the beginning of the harvest season represented in the lack of fuel and burlap in which to pack the crop.
On top of that, and to show the seriousness of the government in this season, since the beginning of last April, the General Intelligence Service has sent more than three hundred of its elements specialized in economic and agricultural security activities specifically to secure wheat harvesting operations, in each of (Al-Jazeera, Kassala, White Nile, River Nile, Sennar, Northern and Al-Rahad Agricultural Project).
The intelligence said that the forces aim to reduce smuggling and speculation in the procurement process, as well as follow up on transportation, deportation and storage in designated containers, providing fuel and working to solve the problems that have arisen, especially the scarcity of fuel and the lack of harvesters and storage containers.
In April, the government announced the completion of the wheat harvest process by 98% in the area planted with wheat in the winter season, at a time when preparations for the summer season began to plant about 23 million feddans without significant obstacles.
A member of the media office of the Prime Minister, Fayez Al-Slaik, said that about (4) million and a half tons of corn and 700 thousand tons of wheat were harvested, and that agriculture achieved 38% of exports, equivalent to one and a half billion dollars.
The producers of the Al-Jazeera and Al-Manaqil project confirmed that the productivity of wheat for the winter season is unprecedented, despite the challenges that faced the season at its beginning, represented by the scarcity of gasoline and the fluctuation of irrigation, which took large areas out of the production circle, in addition to burlap and the scarcity of gasoline for harvesting, pointing out that this productivity was achieved thanks to the determination of the producers and their keenness to achieve Productivity contributes to the strategic stock.
Where the head of the Higher Committee for Harvesting in the Al-Jazeera and Al-Manaqil project and the representative of farmers, Ibrahim Othman Ali, confirmed that the productivity of wheat for the winter season is unprecedented, as the feddan achieved a productivity of 32 sacks for the first time in some sections, while the average productivity reached 18-20 sacks per acre.
Ibrahim said that the productivity of the Gezira project only contributes 30% of the country’s need for wheat, and called for stimulating policies for producers to increase areas in the next season and set prices commensurate with the cost of production in addition to providing irrigation water, which is of great importance in the success of the agricultural season.
Trade unionists in the Al-Jazeera project say that the success of the wheat harvest season provides the country’s strategic reserves with about 3 to 4 months of bread.
The statistics of the Agricultural Bank indicated that the total financing of the winter lug amounted to 5 billion pounds for an area of 410 thousand acres of wheat in the Gezira project, of which 155 thousand acres were individual financing, and 255 thousand acres were financed through the management of the Gezira project, pointing out that the total financing last season for all of Sudan amounted to 19 billion pounds.
All indications and good news about the cultivation of the wheat crop for this season 2020 give hope and optimism that Sudan will achieve self-sufficiency in this important strategic commodity and tear its import bill in the coming seasons.
