The report analyzes sorghum production in Sudan for the 2024/25 season, highlighting conditions that exceeded expectations despite challenges. Key findings include increased planted areas in Gedaref, varied performance in other states, and an estimated total production of 2.65 million tons, with significant contributions from Gedaref and White Nile.
This report assesses sorghum production in selected states of Sudan during the 2024/25 growing season, focusing on areas such as Gedaref, White Nile, Blue Nile, and the New Halfa irrigation scheme in Kassala. Sorghum is Sudan’s staple crop, known for its ability to be stored long-term in underground pits known as Matmuras.
Utilizing satellite data, the study identified regions cultivated with sorghum and correlated peak normalized difference vegetation index (Peak-NDVI) with yield data from crop cuts. The resulting regression analysis was then applied to the identified sorghum areas to generate insights.
Key findings indicate that crop conditions exceeded expectations despite challenges in the previous growing season. The sorghum sub-areas recorded varied results: Gedaref’s planting area slightly increased from the previous year; White Nile and Kassala exhibited higher than average conditions while Blue Nile showed below average performance. The estimated area for Kassala was 734,000 hectares.
The reported average productivity for rainfed sorghum in the 2024/25 season stood at approximately 0.9 t/ha. Overall, the estimated total sorghum production for Sudan was 2.65 million tons, broken down by state: Gedaref contributing 1.57 million tons, White Nile 0.70 million tons, Blue Nile 0.31 million tons, and the New Halfa irrigation scheme in Kassala at 0.07 million tons.
In summary, the analysis of sorghum production in Sudan for the 2024/25 season reveals encouraging results despite prior challenges. Notably, Gedaref exhibited an increase in planted area, while other regions performed variably. The estimated total production of 2.65 million tons reflects an important contribution to the region’s agricultural landscape, emphasizing sorghum’s role as a vital staple crop.
Original Source: www.cgiar.org
