Low rainfall and high costs slash Sudan’s Sennar state planting to 29 per cent
August 5, 2026 (SENNAR) – An official in Sennar State in southeastern Sudan revealed Wednesday that only 29 per cent of the targeted area for the agricultural season has been planted, citing sparse rainfall, fluctuating electricity supply, and rising production costs.
Farmers across central Sudan, Kordofan, and Darfur are complaining of delayed and irregular rainfall during the current summer season, raising fears that a failed crop year could expand the scope of food insecurity.
Sudan faces a widespread hunger crisis resulting from the war that broke out in April 2023, with the United Nations estimating that nearly 19.5 million people, about 41 per cent of the population, face acute food insecurity.
Atif Yousif, Director of Planning at the Ministry of Production and Economic Resources in Sennar State, told reporters that the targeted agricultural area in the state exceeds 4.8 million feddans, of which 36 per cent has been prepared and only 29 per cent planted.
He attributed the reduction in cultivated area to low rainfall, unstable power supply, high operational costs, and limited transportation options.
A large segment of the Sudanese population relies on rain-fed agriculture for income and food. Scarce rainfall also shrinks natural pastures vital for livestock, which in Sudan is estimated at 115.4 million head.
Preparations for rain-fed farming begin in June, while planting for sesame, peanuts, sunflowers, and vegetables starts in July. Sorghum planting begins in mid-August, with watermelon seeds planted toward the end of the season as winter approaches.
Yousif explained that Sennar State began funding the agricultural season early, reaching a 78 per cent financing rate, alongside distributing seeds to smallholder farmers.
Sennar State has planted 30,000 feddans of cotton in irrigated projects, in addition to 60,000 feddans of sorghum.
In Gedaref State, east of Sennar and Sudan’s top crop-producing region, field weeding operations for sesame have begun following recent rainfall that advanced germination. Gedaref targets planting 7.5 million feddans during the current season.