Farmers: Forced to Sell Assets to finance wheat

Sudan Events – Rehab Abdullah

Al-Zain Ali Al-Nema, a farmer in Gezira and Managil Scheme – Al-Tahamid Division, warned against cultivating wheat crop this year in light of the war conditions the country is experiencing, as he stated during his talk to “Sudan Events” that it negatively affects the level of food security in the country.
Al-Nema revealed the difficulties facing the winter season, which he attributed to the Ministry of Finance’s reluctance to provide the required financing, noting that two-thirds of the month of November have passed, “wheat planting times,” stating that the financing was supposed to be announced since last August, and called for financing the farmers by guaranteeing the Scheme’s assets and adopting them as a mortgage. He stressed that most farmers are now desperate to obtain financing from the Ministry of Finance and the Agricultural Bank, pointing out to the difficulty of self-financing this year due to the war conditions that wiped out savings. However, he revealed that some have become forced to sell part of their assets to finance themselves and ignore the Ministry of Finance and the Agricultural Bank. He also complained about irrigation and considered it another threat to the winter season, stressing that the canals are worn out and some of them are colonized by weeds.
He attributed the keenness of some farmers to continue farming in order to stick to their promise to fill the food gap for others who do not practice the agricultural business.