April 24, 2026
https://sudantribune.com/article/313107
April 23, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s General Union of Industrial Workers warned on Thursday of a total collapse of the country’s sugar sector due to funding shortages, a lack of production inputs, and the widening impact of the civil war.
The union’s sugar sector committee petitioned the Sovereign Council and relevant ministries for urgent intervention to save the industry and the upcoming agricultural season, which is scheduled to begin within weeks.
Sugar factories, particularly the Sennar and El Guneid plants in central Sudan, have suffered extensive looting and vandalism since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) moved into producing states. The damage to infrastructure, assets, and raw materials has forced several facilities to go completely offline.
The committee said the sector faces “real risks” and urged the government to secure financing to restart factories and salvage the planting season.
Delays in cultivation have already placed the current season at risk. Approximately 4,000 acres of seed cane remain unplanted, including 2,500 acres at the New Halfa project and 1,500 acres at the Assalaya factory. Officials warned that failing to plant by mid-May would cause a significant production slump.
Beyond the industrial impact, the union highlighted a humanitarian crisis among workers. Many employees are currently surviving on monthly advances of approximately 146,000 Sudanese pounds, while others receive less than 30,000 pounds as inflation continues to erode the currency’s value.
The union’s memorandum called for the immediate provision of fuel, fertilizers, and pesticides, warning that further delays would lead to the disappearance of the strategic sector.
Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim on Wednesday directed authorities to address export and import bottlenecks and stressed the importance of providing agricultural inputs to support manufacturing.
The sector’s decline has forced a heavy reliance on imports. According to data from the Central Bank of Sudan for 2025, the country imported $1.8 billion in food, with sugar accounting for $552 million of that total.
Prior to the outbreak of war in April 2023, Sudan’s domestic factories covered roughly 65% of local consumption for the commodity.