“Agriculture Ministry”: Crops Are Available in Sudan, and Importing Them Is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of
Ammar Hassan Bashir, Director of Food Security at the General Directorate of Agricultural Planning and Economics at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, said that food security is a multidimensional issue involving all state institutions. He explained that no single department, ministry, or sector has a definitive solution to its challenges, calling for a change in the outdated concept that places responsibility for food security on one entity alone.
Speaking to Al-Muhaqqiq news website, Bashir affirmed that food crops are available in Sudan, noting that their availability is influenced by numerous factors beyond irrigation. He pointed out that the country faces a persistent wheat deficit due to high consumption levels compared with domestic production, which has yet to achieve self-sufficiency. Sudan only managed to attain wheat self-sufficiency in 1992.
He said importing crops from abroad is neither shameful nor a shortcoming, but rather one of the mechanisms available to the state for managing food supplies, alongside strategic reserves and food aid. However, he cautioned that imports should not be unrestricted, as they place pressure on foreign currency reserves amid difficult economic conditions. In this regard, he cited the recent lifting of import restrictions as a measure to address the sharp rise in the prices of essential commodities such as wheat and legumes.
Bashir added that declining domestic production drives up prices unless the state maintains strategic reserves. He noted that such reserves serve producers by purchasing surplus output and benefit consumers by releasing commodities into the markets when needed.
He warned that the absence of support policies and food safety nets deprives vulnerable groups of access to food. He also pointed out that many families have changed their dietary habits, reduced the quantities they consume, or switched to less expensive food alternatives.
