Cooking gas and bread crises widen in Sudan

Long queues in front of bakeries have become a common phenomenon in various parts of the country.

In Khartoum state, bakeries in the districts of El Azhari, Ed Hussein, El Salama, El Kalakla, El Haj Yousef, El Sawrat, and Umbadda have closed their doors because of the lack of flour. People in other parts of Sudan also complain about the skyrocketing prices of bread on the black market.

In Wad Madani, the capital of El Gezira state, people also suffer from a scarcity of cooking gas. In the districts of El Zamalek and Tagatu Abu Jebel people have to queue to obtain cooking gas, listener told Radio Dabanga. He pointed out that the price of a cylinder of cooking gas ranges between SDG100-120 ($17-20) at the black market.

Radio Dabanga reported on 25 March that the flour gap at Sayga Company, one of the largest flour companies in Sudan, had reached 75 percent. The production by the Seen Flour Mills had been decreased with 50 percent.

The flour crisis has been attributed to the scarcity of foreign currency needed for the import of wheat.