Continuous conflict triggers another round of price hikes in Sudan

Sudan's food prices have surged again as the armed conflict continues, making it increasingly difficult for more people to make ends meet.

Sudan has been mired in an armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since mid-April 2023, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions both domestically and abroad.

The conflict has continued to weaken the Sudanese pound, causing the prices of various commodities including food to rise. Food prices have increased nearly tenfold compared with those before the conflict.

"Today, 1,000 Sudanese pounds (around 1.67 U.S. dollars) can only buy three pancakes, whereas I could buy five for the same price two weeks ago. Now, most people are living a very hard life, with no incomes and no welfare guarantees at all," said a local named Ali Abdallah Adam.

"Prices are rising for all commodities. The prices of cooking oil, sugar, coffee, tea and milk powder are all rising, and I simply can't afford such increases. I can only make a living by doing some odd jobs. My income is meager, but the prices keep going up," said another resident named Khalifa Mohammed.

The main reason behind Sudan's high food prices is the huge loss of farmers and serious damage of agricultural infrastructure due to the prolonged conflict.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warned in May that nearly 19.5 million people -- two out of every five people in Sudan -- were facing crisis levels of acute food insecurity across Sudan.

"You have an ongoing war and then combine the war and impacts of El Nino, that is very, very severe. Compared to last year, I think there has been a reduction up to 40 percent (in grain output). Then the other issue is also irrigation. At this time of crisis, about 75 percent of irrigated areas in the country are not operational," said Kennedy Igbokwe, an FAO official in Sudan.

In addition, the continuous tension in the Middle East has lifted the prices of energy, fertilizer and other goods for agricultural production in Sudan.

"The tense regional situation has left a severe impact on Sudan. The conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran pushed up the prices of natural gas and fuel oil. Diesel is often out of supply at gas stations. Sometimes, we were not able to refuel even after waiting in line for three hours. The war in Iran has left a serious impact," said Mohammed Hassan Ali, a bakery owner in Port Sudan.

Continuous conflict triggers another round of price hikes in Sudan

China has more than 730 million tonnes of standard warehouse capacity for grain storage, as the widespread application of digital technology for grain storage contributes to strengthening national food security.

According to the latest official data from the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration (NFSRA), a large number of modern and smart warehouses have been put into operation nationwide. Of the total standard capacity, the capacity of low-temperature and quasi-low-temperature grain storage has topped 250 million tonnes, and the capacity of controlled atmosphere grain storage has reaches 67 million tonnes.

At the Haigang Branch of the Qinhuangdao Depot in north China's Hebei Province, a smart sampling machine was in operation for grain inspection before entering the warehouse. When grain trucks enter the inspection zone, a smart sampling machine will automatically identify the vehicles and grain types, generate sampling plans and completes the sampling process in just two minutes.

"Previously, it would take us 20 minutes to collect samples from a single truckload, limiting us to a maximum of just over 20 truckloads per day. Now, with this smart sampling machine, it only takes two minutes per truck," said Liu Yu, deputy manager of the Haigang Branch of Qinhuangdao Depot of China Grain Reserves Group (Sinograin).

Inside the warehouse, a set of advanced technologies is used to maintain constant temperature and humidity levels to keep the grain fresh and with high quality.

"This silo stores 12,500 tonnes of corn. By combining the electronic temperature monitoring, mechanical ventilation, and internal circulation-based temperature control technologies, we ensure that the average grain temperature remains below 20 degrees Celsius throughout the year, meeting the standard for 'quasi-low-temperature storage'," said storekeeper Han Shuangqiu.

Over the years, China has leveraged smart technology to digitize workflows, automate key procedures and make storage management more intelligent. These efforts have advanced the construction of high-standard grain warehouses and further contributed to safeguarding food security in China.

Friday marks the World Food Day. China, the world's largest grain producer, harvested a record 714.88 million tonnes of grain in 2025. This marked the second consecutive year that the country's annual output had topped the 700-million-tonne threshold, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

China's grain storage capacity hits 730 mln tonnes with smart technologies