Sudan’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Jibril Ibrahim, has announced the allocation of €800,000 to import new irrigation pumps for the Gezira Agricultural Project, in an urgent move to address the severe irrigation crisis threatening crop production in the project’s eastern section.
The funding comes after widespread damage to the pumping systems during last year’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attack on the area, which left large portions of the network inoperable.
During a meeting with the Farmers’ Initiative for the Gezira and Managil Project, Jibril reaffirmed the government’s commitment to rehabilitating agricultural infrastructure and compensating affected farmers, emphasizing the need to sustain the current planting season in conflict-affected zones.
Key regions such as Wad Al-Fadl, Haddaf, and Al-Harqa/Nour Al-Din rely heavily on pump-based irrigation, and the ongoing failures risk wiping out more than 51,000 feddans from the current crop rotation.
Recent video footage from the area revealed severe deterioration in conditions, with farmlands once considered among Sudan’s most productive now facing collapse.
The minister stressed that this initiative forms part of a broader national recovery strategy to rebuild war-affected regions, noting that agriculture remains one of the main pillars of Sudan’s economy. He underscored the importance of protecting and revitalizing the sector to ensure food security and economic stability.
