In Sudan, dates and other agricultural products were a foundation of the pre-war economy. Photo: AFP
But five months into the war between Sudan's rival generals, the country's economic infrastructure has been destroyed and"buyers are scared", farmer Al Fatih al Badawi, 54, told the AFP news agency. Farmers who depend on the date industry face colossal challenges moving their products across the country, as do those in other agricultural sectors.Before the war, nearly all trade in highly centralised Sudan went through Khartoum.
But now, in much of the country, including southeastern Gedaref state, known as Sudan's breadbasket, the land has been left fallow.Smallholder farmers have no access to financing, traders have no guarantees of viable markets and industry heavyweights have given up.