SUDAN: DAL Agricultural Services, one of Sudan's leading businesses in agriculture, seeks to improve production in the country through the use of new technology methods in order to help boost Sudan's economy

Record ID: 437277

  • Title: SUDAN: DAL Agricultural Services, one of Sudan's leading businesses in agriculture, seeks to improve production in the country through the use of new technology methods in order to help boost Sudan's economy
  • Date: 26th January 2014
  • Summary: KHARTOUM, SUDAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF IRRIGATION UNIT WATERING CROPS VARIOUS OF SPRINKLERS ENGINEER ALI AL-SHIEKH, DIRECTOR DAL AGRICULTURAL SERVICES, INSPECTING CROPS CENTRE PIVOT IRRIGATION UNIT ALONG THE PROJECT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ENGINEER ALI AL-SHEIKH, DIRECTOR DAL AGRICULTURAL SERVICES, SAYING: "The system used in this farm, Al-Waha Farm is known as centr
  • Embargoed: 10th February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Sudan
  • Country: Sudan
  • Topics: Industry,Science / Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVAEQO1GH8BEKVE2CVS3T3J98N13
  • Story Text: Giant sprinklers water crops out in the field at a farm run by DAL agricultural Services in Sudan's capital, Khartoum.
    The company, a subsidiary of the country's DAL Group, aims to engage in effective agribusiness through the use of modern farming techniques and has installed the latest irrigation and dairy technologies to improve efficiency in Sudan's hot and dry climate.
    DAL Agricultural Services was launched in 1984 and now manages large scale farms in the capital and is now expanding to other parts of Sudan.
    Engineer Ali Al-Sheikh, is the director of DAL agricultural Services.

    "The system used in this farm, Al-Waha Farm is known as centre pivot irrigation system. This is a modern system used around the world and has the advantage of good utilization of water. The farms lie in circles. Every circle comprises 145 feddans (acres or hectares). In this farm we have 92 center pivot irrigation units and it will reach its maximum capacity by the end of this year. That is 103 units each one of 145 feddans," he said.
    DAL grows and produces a range of crops like wheat, maize and potatoes for both local consumption and export.
    Sudan, prized for its fertile land and easy access to irrigation water from the Nile, has been trying to attract farmland and livestock investment from local and foreign investors like Gulf Arab firms seeking to secure food supplies for their arid oil-producing countries.
    The country wants to prioritise agriculture to target self sufficiency by 2015.
    Faced with the loss of most of its oil reserves with South Sudan's secession in 2011, Sudan plans to increase exports of agricultural goods, such as wheat, fruits, oil seeds and gum arabic.
    Oil was the primary source of income for the country's budget as well as dollars needed to fund imports.

    "The direction as I said is Food Security for Sudan and the coming generation. At the same time to provide fodder for animals to help improve milk supply. Thirdly the issue of hard currency which we can save from this land and water if utilized properly," said Al-Sheikh.
    DAL is also doing its bit to promote milk production in Sudan. Nothing from the field goes to waste; stalks are used to make fodder for the company's dairy cows.
    The company is currently Sudan's leading milk producer and is working on plans to increase the number to of cows from 2,000 to 10,000 cows as well as produce over 100 million litres of milk annually.
    Smaller farms are also able to benefit through training programs held at the company.

    "The farm also provides services to smallholders, farmers in the farms around us through some guidance and information services to improve their management. We also contribute in improving the breed of their cows by providing them with bulls of good genetic makeups from our farm and this will contribute in improving the breed of their cows to have more milk producing cows in the coming generation better than they produce now," said Al-Sheikh.
    Adam Ali is one of the farmers working with DAL to increase milk production on his dairy farm.
    He delivers milk to a nearby collection centre everyday.

    "The dairy cow produces between 32 to 34 pounds of milk daily. This was not the case in the past as the average amount was between 12 to 14 pounds from the morning up to the afternoon. But now, thanks God, the milk is considerably increasing and the fodder production became better," he said.
    The milk is tested at the centre and will be processed and packaged into various dairy products for sale.

    "We provide the farmers with fodder at reasonable prices and give them good quality to increase the production of milk that we buy from them. We give them good prices according to market rates," said Ahmed Hassan a supervisor at the DAL Centre.
    Sudan has been battling an economic crisis in recent years and an ongoing conflict in South Sudan currently threatens revenues made from oil exported through Sudan.
    In the meantime farmers are being encouraged to boost exports of agricultural products and livestock such as cattle, to generate a new source for state revenues and foreign exchange.
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