Irrigation, Fuel Shortages and High Costs Hinder Wheat Cultivation in the Gezira Scheme

Sudanhorizon– Hala Hamza

Farmers in the Gezira and Managil Scheme judged that it would be difficult to implement the plans set by the project’s board which seeks to cultivate 400,000 feddans in the winter season, provide 300,000 gallons of gasoline to prepare the wheat fields and remove silt and weeds from the pumps, citing the ongoing irrigation and fuel challenges.

Nasser Jibril, a farmer in Gezira and Managil, told Sudanhorizon that “The irrigation water problem in the Al-Azazab canal has persisted since the beginning of the summer season, in addition to the spread of silt , added to negligence by concerned farmers.”

He emphasized the lack of gates suitable for distributing water fairly across the fields according to the capacity of each canal. These gates have been removed as a result of farmers’ negligence. He stressed that these gates play a crucial engineering and technical role in terms of forward flow, reverse damming, and controlling the increase and decrease of water volume.

He added: “As for financing through grassroots associations, the administration has not provided us with the certificates for these associations, nor has it granted us the necessary authorization to open accounts and print official seals.”

He explained that preparing the land for wheat cultivation requires five gallons of gasoline per feddan, noting that the area targeted by the project’s board of directors needs 120,000 gallons for preparation.

The Chairman of the Gezira Scheme Board of Directors, Lieutenant General Khalid Al-Shami, indicated in a meeting held last week in Khartoum – attended by the project governor, the director of the Agricultural Bank, the chairman of the Gezira Scheme Producers’ Organization, and the director of the Green Revolution Company – the importance of cultivating 400,000 feddans with wheat in the current winter season to ensure food security for the Sudanese people, pointing out that 300,000 gallons of gasoline would be needed to prepare the targeted area.

Jibril emphasized the imbalance between the required area and the announced quantity of gasoline needed for land preparation, in addition to the lack of suitable canals or sufficient water to irrigate this area.

He also noted the high prices of production inputs provided by the bank to farmers. The price of a sack of DAP fertilizer on the black market is 800,000 Sudanese pounds, a sack of urea fertilizer 400,000 pounds, and seeds 600,000 pounds. Meanwhile, the cost of land preparation is 300,000 pounds per feddan, excluding harvesting, cutting, taxes, and pesticides, which cost at least 1,200 pounds per feddan. This brings the total cost per feddan to (3,600) thousand pounds, making it impossible for farmers to cultivate even one feddan at such high costs.

Jibril stated, “If the project management had provided us with sufficient water for irrigation and controlled the violations committed by some farmers, limiting their cultivated area for each planting season, we would have cleaned the canals at our own expense, prepared the land early, and procured seeds and other inputs despite their high prices on the black market, instead of buying a sack of corn for 900,000 pounds and a sack of wheat for 900,000 pounds.” He pointed out that the country loses at least 30 head of cattle per week due to starvation and the toxic substance “al-Adara,” which is produced by thirst and causes the death of many livestock. The impact of water scarcity extends to both humans and animals.

For his part, Al-Zein Ali, a farmer in the project, told Sudanhorizon “Preparations for the winter planting season begin in August and September, and we are now in the first third of November, yet the land is still awaiting preparation, not to mention the planting season, which has already arrived.” He denounced the delay in delivering fuel to farmers despite its approval by official bodies. He emphasized that the delayed arrival of gasoline is hindering preparation and planting, negatively impacting productivity, which is already facing high input costs.

In a related context, former Minister of State for Social Welfare, Ibrahim Adam, previously submitted a proposal to implement five national projects, including:

The immediate reactivation of the wheat localization project.

The establishment of a specialized Sudanese wheat corporation to handle planning, purchasing, storage, and distribution, similar to grain corporations in major countries, thus eliminating the influence of individual decisions.

Support agricultural research and reinstate its role in the national budget.

Establish a national project to improve the productivity of the “mukhammas” (a unit of land measurement) and the feddan (another unit of land measurement) alongside wheat, and to enhance the productivity of millet and maize-producing regions through the use of organic fertilizers and pesticides in traditional production areas to increase output and productivity.

Establish a national project to revitalize the gum arabic belt and reinstate the monopoly on its trade.

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=20102