Gezira Scheme Farmers Complain of Fuel Shortages and Rising Prices

Sudanhorizon – Hala Hamza

A number of farmers in the Gezira and Managil Scheme have complained of shortages of fuel needed for agricultural operations and rising prices. They told Sudanhorizon that before the war, the government allocated subsidized fuel for agriculture, whereas farmers now have to purchase it at commercial prices from fuel stations, despite continued shortages and price increases.

Mubarak Hassan, a farmer in the scheme, told Sudanhorizon that fuel had been available at stations a week ago but is now almost completely unavailable. He pointed to the difficulties farmers are facing due to a lack of water in their fields at the end of the season, particularly in the Shuwal section.

Hassan said the price of a gallon had been SDG 40,000, while a 50-gallon barrel cost SDG 1.92 million from the station, in addition to transportation costs. Prices have now risen to SDG 2.1 million. He added that a similar increase had occurred in the price of gasoline, which rose from SDG 32,000 to SDG 38,000 per gallon, along with increases in the prices of other production inputs.

Mustafa Al-Turaifi, another farmer in the scheme, told Sudanhorizon that agricultural fuel had previously been provided at subsidized prices by the government, with all agricultural states exempted from fees and taxes imposed on fuel. He said farmers are currently being affected simultaneously by rising fuel prices and shortages.

He added that the situation has compounded the sector’s problems, including land preparation, the cost of which has risen to more than SDG 300,000 per acre. This has forced a large number of farmers to cultivate previously plowed land to avoid higher costs, affecting the dredgers operating in the scheme to clear canals and waterways. Al-Turaifi called on the government to urgently resolve the fuel shortage and reduce prices in support of production and producers.

Project leader Al-Omda Al-Aqib Musa told Sudanhorizon that all fuel stations in Managil are out of diesel and gasoline. He also pointed to the suspension of dredging operations across the scheme due to the lack of diesel.

He said that despite recent reports that seven fuel-laden vessels had docked at Port Sudan and were awaiting the unloading of their fuel cargo, raising hopes that the problem would be resolved, the current situation in the Gezira Scheme confirms the existence of a genuine shortage requiring urgent solutions.

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