Wildfires in Sudan’s Northern State surge tenfold, palm farmers concerned

85 fruitful palm trees were ravaged by a fire in Delgo, Northern State, on Monday morning, just one month before the date harvest season. A limited fire also broke out in the nearby village of Gargoud but was quickly contained before it reached the palm groves.

A witness told Radio Dabanga that the fire “started in the weeds in the grove, then quickly spread to the palm trees.”

The fire was said to be caused by incorrect trash disposal. “A resident had cleaned the palm trees in the morning and burned the waste to dispose of it. He thought the fire had gone out and went home, only to be surprised by the fire inside his orchard.”

Footage captured by Radio Dabanga shows several palm trees engulfed in flames as people gather and try to extinguish the fire.

Coincidentally, a high-level workshop on palm fires was held in Delgo shortly before the fire. “After finishing the workshop, while we were on our way back , we found the fire in its early stages. We stopped and contacted the fire brigade from Delgo locality and waited for it to arrive. They came and carried out the entire extinguishing process.”

Despite repeated efforts by the Delgo Civil Defence General Administration to raise awareness on the hazards associated with using fire to dispose of palm waste, “through mosques, bulletins, online social media, and WhatsApp”, many continue to use this method, according to the local source.

Growing concern

Dates are the mainstay of the economy for residents of the Northern State, as they primarily earn their income from date sales. While the villages of Northern state suffer from palm fires every summer, the number of fires this year has multiplied by ten in some areas.

Estimates by the Ministry of Agriculture estimate annual losses due to fires at about 1,000-1,500 palm trees each year. However, the fires that have broken out since the beginning of this year far exceed this number.

The continuing series of palm tree fires is worrying farmers and landowners in the north. “All attempts and plans by the state government to contain and avoid these fires have failed, increasing fears of losing rare, high-quality, and productive strains”, the local source stated.

The last palm tree fire in Northern state occurred on June 23, when fire ravaged more than 1,000 date palms, as well as four fruit orchards of various types, in the area between Abri and Tebej, damaging some nearby houses and causing a prolonged power outage.