On the fertile clay plains of Sudan’s Gezira Scheme, farmers would have normally started tilling the soil weeks ago before planting out rows of sorghum, or peanuts, sesame and other cash crops.
Instead, in a country stalked by sharply rising hunger, swathes of the 8 800km2 agricultural project lie untouched.
Farmers say the government, which has been cut off from billions of dollars in international financing following a coup in October, failed to buy their wheat under promised terms earlier this year. That, they say, means they do not have the money to fund the new crop now.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further complicated the outlook, driving prices for inputs such as fertiliser and fuel to new highs.
That puts current and future seasons in jeopardy, the farmers say,…
