Referendum and new economic reform policies to negatively impact food security during 2011
- Cereal harvests were higher than average and nearly double those of 2009/10. However, an estimated 4 million people in Northern Sudan will remain moderate/highly food insecure during 2011 including people affected by the recent conflict in Darfur and returnees to south Sudan stranded in South Kordofan and White Nile states.
- In the north, the withdrawal subsidies and creation of additional taxes have led to 20-30 percent increases in essential food and non food commodity prices.
- Despite a reasonably good harvest in southern Sudan, 1.5 million people are expected to be food insecure during 2011. This excludes the referendum-related population returns from northern Sudan. So far close to 190,000 people have returned since late October and many more are expected during the post referendum and dry season February - June.
- In southern Sudan, sorghum prices in some key markets remain significantly and unexpectedly higher than average despite recent harvests. Further price increases are expected due to reduced commodity flows from northern Sudan, increased demand, increased commodity prices in northern Sudan, and increasing global food prices.