Food in Sudan

Agriculture remains a central source of food and income in Sudan. Production uses irrigated farming, semi-mechanized rainfed farming and traditional rainfed farming. Main crops include sorghum, also called dura, millet, wheat, sesame, groundnuts, sunflower, pulses and horticultural products. Sudan also has large livestock resources, with an estimated 115.4 million animals, including sheep, goats, cattle and camels. Livestock, fishing, imports, local markets and household production all contribute to food access. Conflict since April 2023 has disrupted production, trade, transport and movement. About 28.9 million people were estimated to need food-security or livelihood support in 2026, and 19.5 million people were facing IPC level 3 or worse conditions between February and May 2026. Fourteen areas in North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan faced famine risk if conflict and access restrictions continued. About 8.6 million people were internally displaced by the end of July 2026. Access differs sharply between states and can change with security conditions, road access, rainfall and local supply. Cereal production in 2025 was estimated at about 5.2 million tonnes, around 22% below 2024 and 19% below the five-year average. Sudan was expected to need about 2.8 million tonnes of imports in 2026, mainly wheat. Sorghum prices averaged about 65% higher during January to June 2026 than the comparable earlier period, while millet prices rose by about 42%; in June 2026, sorghum was about 66% more expensive and millet about 37% more expensive than a year earlier. Diesel prices doubled between March and June 2026 and were about three times higher than a year earlier. Household purchasing power is affected by inflation, production losses, trade disruption and exchange-rate changes. Prices vary by state, season, security situation, transport conditions and market. The rainy season affects roads, aid delivery and harvests. Rainfed harvests usually take place toward the end of the year or at the beginning of the following year, while wheat is generally harvested around March. The lean season commonly runs from June to September. Drought and irregular rainfall create additional risks in areas such as Sennar and Gedaref, while access constraints are especially severe in Greater Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile. Common Sudanese foods include kisra or kissra, a thin fermented sorghum- or maize-based flatbread; aseeda, a firm porridge; and gurraasa, a wheat-based flatbread associated especially with northern Sudan. These foods are often served with mullah, a family of stews. Mullah rob can contain okra, fermented milk and peanuts, while weika is made from dried okra. Other locally known foods include ful medames, dakwa peanut paste, sharmout dried meat, kajaik dried-fish stew, sheya grilled lamb, agashe spiced skewers, tamia, mahashi, kamounia and kawari. Sudan has no officially established single national dish. Regional recipes depend on climate, season, ethnic traditions and ingredient availability. Meals are often shared on a communal tray and eaten with the right hand. Hospitality, jebena coffee, sweet tea, karkadeh, hilu-mur and tamarind drinks have strong social relevance. Recipes are mainly passed on through households and informal practice. Restaurants, tea stalls, street-food sellers and market food outlets continue to provide meals in many places, but availability, prices and safety vary greatly by city, state and security conditions. In some urban and displaced communities, takeaway and informal food services also fill gaps in household cooking and regular supply. The everyday diet often relies heavily on cereals, oil and sugar, with pulses, milk, meat, vegetables, fruit, fish and peanuts adding variety where available. Conflict, displacement and high prices have reduced both the quantity and diversity of food for many households. In 2026, about 825,000 children under five were expected to experience severe acute malnutrition. Medical treatment belongs to health services, while food access and dietary conditions remain part of the food situation. Food safety risks include unsafe water, damaged water and sanitation systems, flooding, open or poorly stored food, interrupted refrigeration and unsafe transport. Cholera has occurred in several waves since 2023, with spread reported in 12 states and 90 localities during 2025. Safer practice includes using a safe water source, washing hands before handling food, heating food thoroughly, protecting it from contamination, checking labels and expiry dates, and avoiding exposed products. The Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization has warned against unprotected sweets and other products and advises purchasing from licensed outlets. Food safety responsibilities involve the Federal Ministry of Health, including its Environmental Health and Food Control Department; the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; the Federal Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries; and the Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization, known as SSMO. Their functions include food policy, product registration, import oversight, health certificates, establishment inspections, plant and animal health, conformity certificates, laboratory testing, standards, calibration and consumer complaints. The Food Control Act 1973 and Standards Act 2008 provide parts of the formal framework. National food-chain surveillance and risk analysis are not fully integrated, and enforcement capacity differs by region. SSMO lists 5960 as a consumer complaint contact. Humanitarian food support supplements household, market and farming access rather than creating an automatic nationwide entitlement. WFP provides food, cash and nutrition assistance and supports Food Assistance for Assets, reaching about four million people per month across all 18 states. Access depends on vulnerability, programme rules, safety, roads, rainfall and cross-line or cross-border permissions. FAO, UNICEF, state authorities, local aid organizations and community structures also support food, farming, water, nutrition or resilience activities. Longer-term food resilience depends on certified seed, drought- and heat-tolerant varieties, restored irrigation and water systems, water harvesting, conservation agriculture, rangeland management, livestock mobility, veterinary vaccination, better storage, lower post-harvest losses, climate-smart methods and early warning. Sorghum is relatively drought-tolerant, remains a central traditional crop and became an FAO One Country One Priority Product in 2025. War, shortages of inputs, fuel costs, restricted movement and limited funding continue to constrain these measures.