‘Exorbitant fees’ burden Sudanese sesame harvest

Farmers in Sudan’s El Gedaref state are complaining of ‘exorbitant’ levies imposed for the transfer of foreign seasonal workers.

The sparsely populated agricultural areas of El Gedaref are adjacent to the Ethiopian border, and farmers in the state are dependent on seasonal workers from neighbouring countries, especially for the sesame harvest.

They complained to Radio Dabanga that Basonda and El Gallabat localities impose “exorbitant levies for Ethiopian workers, in addition to a handling fee of SDG5 ($0.80) for each worker’s passport.

The knock-on effect of these levies translates to a sharp increase in the labour costs for the harvest.

Last week, Radio Dabanga reported that seasonal ‘Jango Jora’ workers from Darfur were complaining of abuses, exploitation, and broken promises by the owners of agricultural projects in El Gedaref.