Four million in Sudan face ‘food emergency’ in 2014

Rebel-controlled areas of Sudan’s South Kordofan will experience an ‘emergency level’ of food security this year. The fighting in Darfur and Blue Nile, as well as a poor 2013/2014 harvest, will increase the food-insecure population to approximately 4 million people. Currently, an estimated 3.3 million people in Sudan face worse than ‘stressed’ levels of food insecurity’, according to figures released by Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net). In its outlook for January-June 2014, the network expects Sudan’s food security to decrease owing to intensified violence in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile. ‘The most severe impacts are expected in Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N)-controlled areas of South Kordofan,’ Fews Net stated. These are likely to be classified under ‘emergency’ levels of food security by the beginning of the lean season in March to April this year. Darfur’s food security came under siege throughout 2013 when tribal conflicts and fighting between the Sudanese army and rebel forces heightened, and displaced nearly half a million people, according to the United Nations. This also caused the food production to fall, as large numbers of farmers failed to harvest their crops, researchers found in December 2013. Food prices continue to rise Sudan will face a cereal deficit of an estimated 1 million tons in 2014, Fews Net predicted. ‘Cereal production for the current season is only at 45-50 percent of last year’s good harvest, owing to late and below-average rains.’ The country typically produces a cereal surplus for export. The network estimated the production in Darfur, North Kordofan, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile to range from 40-60 percent of their five-year average. In addition, the network expects increased production and transport costs caused by reduced fuel subsidies and devaluation of Sudan’s currency are pushing sorghum, millet, and staple food prices above average in the coming months. In the capital of South Darfur, Nyala, for example, millet prices are 119 percent higher than the five-year average. ‘Large farmers and traders are believed to be holding onto stocks in anticipation of much higher prices later in 2014, thereby limiting market supplies’, Fews Net added. South Sudanese refugees Furthermore, an increase of people fleeing the violence in South Sudan to Sudan will put pressure on local resources. Most of the people (18,570) have sought refuge in Sudan’s White Nile since the conflict started in December 2013, according to the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) in its latest bulletin. The state is typically a surplus-producing area; however Fews Net does not expect its sorghum harvest to be higher than 30 percent of its average. Central Darfur plants trees Meanwhile, Central Darfur’s Ministry of Agriculture revealed the state has been selected for planting 5,000 saplings of olives, apples, and other kinds of fruit, in a statement to Sudan Vision today. “The cultivated area amounts to 700,000 acres, besides of 200,000 acres of wheat.” She added Central Darfur has achieved high productivity last year and seeks to cultivate 2,000 acres of cereal crops. File photo: Workers harvest and pack sugar cane at the White Nile Sugar Factory. (Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah) Related: Food supply gap in North Darfur: agricultural survey (31 January 2014) Decade of conflict, insecurity decays Darfur’s cash crops: think tank (22 December 2013)