Reference Date: 27-May-2025
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
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Above-average cereal production in 2024 due to favourable weather conditions
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Cereal prices at exceptionally high levels
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Dire food security situation, with famine conditions detected in ten areas
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Above-average cereal production in 2024 due to favourable weather conditions
The harvest of the 2024 coarse grains crops (sorghum and millet) was completed in late 2024, while the small, irrigated wheat crop was gathered in March 2025.
According to the Government-led 2024 Crop and Food Supply Assessment, national cereal production in 2024 (sorghum, millet and wheat) is estimated at about 6.7 million tonnes, over 60 percent above the low output obtained in 2023 and 7 percent above the average of the previous five years, mainly due to favourable weather conditions.
The June-September rainy season was characterized by above-average rainfall amounts and by an even spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation, which induced farmers to expand plantings and boosted yields. The favourable weather conditions offset the negative impact of the conflict on agricultural activities, including the low availability and high prices of agricultural inputs due to supply chain disruptions.
Import requirements for the 2025 marketing year (January/December) are forecast at about 2.7 million tonnes, mainly wheat (about 90 percent of the total) plus small quantities of millet, maize and rice. However, the limited financial and logistical capacity of the country raises concerns about the possibility of satisfying these import needs.
Cereal prices at exceptionally high levels
The national average retail price of domestically produced sorghum and millet declined by 38 and 23 percent, respectively, between September 2024, when they were at record levels, and February 2025, as newly harvested 2024 crops increased domestic availability. Between February and April 2025, the average price of sorghum levelled off, while the average price of millet rose by 4 percent. As of April 2025, prices of sorghum and millet were more than four times their pre-conflict levels in March 2023, underpinned by the impact of the ongoing conflict, which resulted in trade disruptions and high input prices inflating production costs.
The high level of cereal prices is severely constraining food access, in the context of reduced households’ purchasing power, undermined by a sharp reduction of employment opportunities.
Dire food security situation, with famine conditions detected in ten areas
According to the latest IPC analysis (not endorsed by the Government), about 24.6 million people, more than half of the population, are projected to face IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse levels of acute food insecurity between December 2024 and May 2025. This figure includes about 8.1 million people in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and 637 000 people facing IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) levels of acute food insecurity. Famine conditions (IPC Phase 5) have been detected in ten areas in North Darfur, West Kordofan and South Kordofan states. In addition, there is a risk of famine in 17 additional areas in North Darfur, East Darfur, South Darfur, South Kordofan, Al Jazirah and Khartoum states.
The main driver of the dire food security situation is the ongoing conflict. Since its start in April 2023, the conflict has severely disrupted livelihoods, destroyed key economic infrastructures, constrained humanitarian access and triggered large-scale population displacements, with 8.6 million internally displaced people (IDP) estimated as of mid-May.
Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dashed lines on the maps represent approximate borderlines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The final boundary between the Republic of the Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan has not yet been determined. The final status of the Abyei area is not yet determined.
This brief was prepared using the following data/tools:
FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS)
https://www.fao.org/giews/data-tools/en/
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FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool
https://fpma.fao.org/
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FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring
https://www.fao.org/giews/earthobservation/
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Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)
https://www.ipcinfo.org/
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