RSF Intentionally Destroyed Gezira Scheme Infrastructure, Says Governor
Governor of the Gezira Scheme, Engineer Ibrahim Mustafa, revealed the impact of the war on the decline in the percentage of areas planted with main crops targeted for cultivation for the current summer season to 505 thousand acres out of the total proposed areas of 1.1 million acres.
He pointed out during his speech today in the working session to discuss the document of prospects for reconstruction for the agricultural sector that the Rapid Support Militia destroyed the infrastructure of the Gezira Scheme, starting with the irrigation network system at the level of the main bridges, irrigation canals, workshops, ginning plants, seed preparation units, storage containers, fields, and agricultural engineering mechanisms, indicating the destruction of 50 tractors with their accessories and 100 workers’ vehicles, looting of warehouse spare parts and a quantity of stocks of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, calling for urgent intervention to save the season so that productivity does not decline by a percentage of up to 60%, especially the corn crop, and thus food insecurity.
Ibrahim pointed out the importance of the Gezira Scheme as the backbone of the Sudanese agricultural economy and a solid base of natural resources.
He revealed the total support required to rebuild what was destroyed at about $12 million, in addition to the requirements for urgent maintenance of the irrigation network at $15 million, and the total funding required for the summer season at $36 million and $65 million for the winter season.
In addition to an emergency unit for irrigation works for the project at a cost of $10 million, indicating that the project is distinguished by an area of 2.2 million acres and about 800 thousand hectares, representing about 50% of the cultivated area in Sudan, while providing food for about 5 million citizens directly and more than 3 million citizens indirectly, stressing the importance of rebuilding what was destroyed by the war in the project, which contributes to alleviating poverty in communities.
Mustafa noted the importance of rapid emergency intervention to make the summer season a success by providing agricultural production inputs and special interventions to improve the work environment.
He added that the cultivated areas in the summer season 2024-2025 amounted to 300 thousand acres of corn, 50 thousand acres of cotton, 100 thousand acres of peanuts, 15 thousand acres of soybeans, and 50 thousand acres of vegetables.