Sudan farmers are set to benefit from 37,000 metric tons of high-quality fertilizers and 5,200 metric tons of Irish seed potato delivered to Port Sudan by Sustain Africa, a pan-African initiative hosted by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) —and implementing partner CIMMYT, marking a critical step in supporting the recovery of agricultural production in Sudan.
More than two years of ongoing conflict have left the country with the worst food security conditions in decades. Sudan’s typical imports of about 450,000 metric tons of fertilizer annually fell to an estimated 50,000 metric tons in 2024.
The shipments form part of Sustain Africa and partners’ broader initiative of crisis response and resilience building, to improve availability, affordability, and effective and sustainable use of fertilizers.
The Sustain Sudan programme aims to strengthen local fertilizer and agri-input markets and help communities regain the means to produce their own food as the country works toward recovery and stability.
We do this by linking international suppliers with local agrodealers, unlocking finance options and providing technical assistance on-the-ground. This market-based approach builds on the inherent strengths of Sudan’s agricultural private sector.
“Restoring agriculture is essential for long-term stability and securing food supply. The determination of Sudan’s farming and agribusiness community to reclaim self-sufficiency is evident across the sector” says Ben Valk, Global Director of Sustain Sudan.
Similarly, Dr Moses Siambi, CIMMYT’s Regional Director for Africa said: “By combining this fertilizer and seed delivery with practical agronomic support, we can help farmers restart production, increase yields and safeguard their livelihoods.”
Local agrodealers have already commenced distributions to suppliers and farmers in Gezira, River Nile, Northern, Kassala, White Nile, and Sinnar states as a first. We are grateful for the partnership with the local agrodealers from importation to delivery.
Sustain Africa remains committed to its mandate of delivering fertilizer and other agri-inputs to farmers in dire situations.
We continue to seek collaboration from business partners, financial institutions and development investors to provide even more solutions to support Sudan’s agriculture sector.
This market-based, business-humanitarian intervention is non-political and solely intended to address urgent market and farmer needs.
