SUDAN: IMPACT OF RISING FOOD/AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY PRICES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 000665 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN AND DCHA/FFP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR EAID ETRD ECON PGOV PREL SU SUBJECT: SUDAN: IMPACT OF RISING FOOD/AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY PRICES REF: A) STATE 39410 B) KHARTOUM 109 C) KHARTOUM 294 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The rising global price of food and agricultural commodities is having an impact on food prices in Sudan, mainly with staple commodities, such as wheat and sorghum. While not fully quantifiable, domestic agricultural production seems to be responding to the changes, and the Government of National Unity (GNU) has taken action through the formation of a new committee and has reduced the taxes imposed on wheat. Political unrest is not significant at this point, though protests have taken place in Khartoum, and editorials are appearing in the print media. Price increases of commodities in the U.S. have impacted the total budget for the USAID/Food for Peace (FFP) program, though there has not/not been a decrease in the overall size of the program in Sudan in FY08. END SUMMARY. DEMAND -------------- ¶2. (U) The most important agricultural commodities in Sudan are sorghum, wheat, millet, tubers (sweet potato and cassava),and pulses (fava beans and lentils). In terms of cereals, the demand for wheat has steadily grown during the last two decades, particularly in Khartoum and other urban areas. The increasing trend in demand for heat is`a rasult(of apidupbaoizatkon,0wmreiojcm^q5edrs rrefEr$Fc w5n{!Qoln!p.M c'nte'1b olmUz|lmQQ'l}q\"s'y8s#ehQu%LDa6U'rcs`gQc.oc*e Qf$qzQAk"cQ|J&U6y, o4E$ December 2006 to December 2007; conversely, the price of sorghum, during that same time, has remained stable. Furthermore, between January and March 2008, prices have increased by 30 and 12 percent, respectively, though some of this may be due to seasonal price fluctuations. ¶4. (U) Sudan is a net importer of wheat, with domestic production of wheat estimated at 700,000 metric tons (MT) per year on average, and total national annual consumption is estimated at 1.9 million MT, according to U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Sorghum and millet consumption is estimated to be three million and 500,000 MT per year, respectively. Sorghum used for animal feed is estimated at 500,000 metric tons annually. Sudan is a net exporter of sorghum, mainly to the Arabian Peninsula for animal feed. SUPPLY -------------- ¶5. (U) There is evidence that domestic agricultural production in Sudan is responding to price changes, albeit slowly and to a minimal degree thus far. This year, wheat was planted for the first time in Khartoum State. The national area under wheat production has increased by 6 percent, or 48,000 feddans (one feddan equals roughly 1.03 acres) from last season. The production figures have not yet been released. For the past few years, the National Wheat Program has given incentives to farmers through subsidies of fertilizers and diesel fuel to plant wheat. ¶6. (U) Sorghum and millet, the traditional {tNe NMQzum and millet to these commodities directly influences farmers' decisions as to which type of crops to plant. Currently, the government does not mandate to individual, private farmers any requirement to plant specific, staple crops such as sorghum and millet. In the irrigated schemes, many of which are parastatals, this may not be the case; post does not currently have specific information on this subject. KHARTOUM 00000665 002 OF 003 ¶8. (U) On March 13, the Government of National Unity (GNU) formed a specialized committee of experts from the Tax Chamber, Customs, Central Bank of Sudan, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, and other concerned authorities to study the effect of global price increases and suggest proposals to reduce the impact on the Sudanese economy and consumers. This year, with respect to wheat, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Trade plan to import 500,000 metric tons to cover the consumption gap. Similar to past years, the majority of wheat imports will be handled through private traders. POLITICAL IMPACT -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Rising food prices have a potential to cause political unrest in the fifteen months leading up to the national election in July 2009. Since the beginning of 2008, rising bread prices have resulted in a number of angry newspaper articles, as well as spontaneous, non-violent protests in Khartoum in February. On February 28, the new Minister of Finance and National Economy, Awad al-Jaz, in his first major action in his position, announced a significant tax break package, which will return bread prices to their December 2007 levels (ref b). Al-Jaz announced the cancellation of the value-added tax imposed on wheat, as well as a reduction in the following taxes: standardization and metering, the customs import, the harbor, and the agricultural quarantine. (Note: Although not known currently, food price increases may impact on the attitudes of various governmental entities, such as Ministry of Agriculture and the Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization (SSMO),toward the use and importation of genetically-modified organisms (GMO) seeds and commodities, which are currently banned. End note.) ECONOMIC IMPACT -------------- ¶10. (SBU) As expected, rising commodity prices have had an impact on Sudan's inflation rate. According to Sudan's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS),the annualized inflation rate in Khartoum State successively increased from 13.4% in May 2007 to 20.6% in March ¶2008. In recent years, agricultural production as a whole has suffered from underinvestment, leading to deterioration and/or underdevelopment in basic infrastructure. Major bottlenecks in the supply chain include poor transport infrastructure, weak markets and market information, and minimal food processing facilities ¶11. (SBU) Higher input costs have not had a significant impact on Sudanese food production costs, due to the relatively minimal use of inputs. For example, fertilizers and insecticides are seldom used in the rain-fed farming areas, which comprise the majority of cultivated land. Conversely, at least five percent of food harvested is lost due to poor storage facilities and techniques, according to FAO. ¶12. (U) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: Increased prices have not yet had a significant environmental impact in the short term. ¶13. (U) GOVERNMENT POLICY RESPONSE: The GNU has adopted a new four-year agricultural initiative, chaired by Second Vice President Ali Osman Taha, which is intended to promote Sudanese self-sufficiency in essential commodities (i.e wheat, sorghum, groundnuts and millet). This program highlights wheat and sorghum as strategic commodities, and instructs the Central Bank of Sudan, as well as commercial banks, to facilitate micro-lending to small farmers. ¶14. (U) IMPACT ON POST PROGRAMS: The rising global commodity prices have impacted USG programs in Sudan, specifically USAID's Title II food aid program. Currently, USAID/Office of Food for Peace (FFP)'s largest food aid program is in Sudan, with more than 75 percent of the food assistance dedicated to meeting critical needs in response to the Darfur crisis. In both FY07 and FY08, USAID/FFP met 50 percent of WFP's appeal, measured in metric tonnage, not cash value of the commodities. This year, due to commodity and transport increases, that commitment resulted in a mid-fiscal year budget increase of approximately $30 million. This increase has been absorbed into the USAID/FFP budget for Sudan, in light of the magnitude of the emergency food needs and the high priority of the program. On the other hand, much of WFP's other donors provide cash, not in-kind contributions, so the impact has been felt more immediately. Fortunately, other donors, including the EC, have been discussing the possibility of increasing their contributions to help offset the price increases. In addition, with early commitments from these other donors, WFP procured a significant amount of the commodities it needed for the 2008 program back in late 2007, when the prices were lower, so the impact has KHARTOUM 00000665 003 OF 003 been less significant thus far than might have been expected. Projections of future impact on USAID/USG programs have not been fully developed as yet. Post will continue to monitor the impact of this worrisome trend over the coming months, and will provide updates as warranted. FERNANDEZ