The armed conflict that erupted in Sudan on April 14 has brought agricultural exports to a standstill.
According to a Sudanese exporter, reporting the situation on condition of anonymity, "We are at the beginning of the campaign for several crops, but the violence of the combats and their extent have paralyzed the export channels."
The only two international airports, including the main commercial airport in Khartoum, were shut down on the first day of the fighting. Some ports and trans-border land crossings to Egypt and Ethiopia are still open, but too risky, according to our source: "Exporters are holding back from shipping for fear of looting. Agricultural storage points and trucks have already been ransacked."
Banks have also been closed since the outbreak of the fights. In addition, "packing houses as well as most of the logistic infrastructure and services to exporters are not operational, as they are mostly located in Khartoum and in the western areas of the country, which are hot zones at the moment," adds the exporter.
Most of the agricultural lands are, however, being spared: "The fighting has not reached the production areas. Rainfalls started recently and growers continue their operations as much as they can and manage to sell their products on the local market."
"We have no visibility on the development of the situation or the end of the conflict, which adds to curb our production and exports despite a huge potential," concludes the exporter.