Sudan’s Finance Minister Gebreil Ibrahim (right) and Central Bank Governor Amna Mirghani attend a meeting in Khartoum on July 9, 2026, to launch a SDG3 trillion banking consortium to finance the country’s summer agricultural season. photo courtesy of sudantribune.com.
Sudan has launched a banking consortium worth more than SDG3 trillion (Sudanese pounds) to finance the country’s summer agricultural season, as authorities seek to avert a further decline in food production amid the ongoing conflict and economic crisis.
The initiative, announced on Thursday by Finance Minister Gebreil Ibrahim, will pool resources from the Central Bank of Sudan and commercial banks to provide urgently needed financing for farmers and the broader productive sector.
The government described the scheme as a national priority aimed at ensuring the success of the 2026 summer cropping season.
The summer season, which runs from July to October, is facing severe challenges, including shortages of financing, improved seeds and fertilizers, as well as rising fuel and production costs. Agricultural supply chains have also been severely disrupted by the conflict that erupted in April 2023.
Speaking at a meeting attended by Central Bank Governor Amina Mirghani, the General Manager of the Agricultural Bank of Sudan and executives from commercial banks, Ibrahim said the Ministry of Finance would guarantee the consortium and shoulder a substantial share of agricultural insurance costs to ease the burden on farmers.
The finance minister also emphasized the need to organize small-scale producers into agricultural cooperatives to improve access to government support, including technical packages, extension services and production inputs.
According to the ministry, the measures are intended to boost productivity and strengthen national food security.
Under the arrangement, the Central Bank will contribute 20% of the consortium’s value, while each commercial bank will be required to contribute at least 5%, according to Mirghani.
She said the initiative aims to channel excess liquidity in the banking sector into productive activities while ensuring participating banks recover both their capital and profits.
Mirghani added that expanding microfinance and strengthening agricultural value chains from production to export would enhance Sudan’s export capacity, create new income opportunities and reinforce the banking sector’s role in agricultural development.
The Agricultural Bank of Sudan said the consortium would help mobilize resources for small-scale producers, support strategic food reserves, promote stability in rural areas and create opportunities for women and youth. Representatives of commercial banks reportedly pledged their full support for the initiative.
The financing package comes at a critical time for Sudan’s agricultural sector. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned in May that crop losses during the current agricultural season could reach 40% because of lower rainfall, damaged irrigation systems and the high costs of farming operations, fertilizers and fuel.
Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Sudan’s economy, employing about 80% of the workforce and contributing nearly one-third of the country’s gross domestic product, according to Central Bank data.
However, cereal production last year was estimated at 5.2 million tonnes, down 22% from the previous season and 19% below the five-year average, with significant declines in both sorghum and millet production.
The government plans to cultivate 1.2 million feddans in the Gezira Scheme, 7.6 million feddans in Gedaref State and more than 3.3 million feddans in White Nile State this season, betting that the new financing mechanism can help revive agricultural production and improve food security despite the country’s continuing challenges.
