摘要：Cereal grains are the most important calorie source in the Sudanese diet. An understanding of cereals in the Sudan is important for maintaining efficient and sustainable agricultural and food production. This paper analyzes Sudanese cereals by examining trends in cereal production, consumption, and trade during the past four decades, and identifies the elements that might affect future production and import demand. The focus is sorghum, wheat, and millet. Data were collected from the production and trade yearbooks of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for various years. The findings have shown that the expansion of arable land did not bring about the expected increase in productivity. Also, total cereal consumption in the Sudan rose at an average annual rate higher than the production rate. To meet the shortfall between cereal consumption and production, cereal imports, especially wheat, increased. Wheat imports have exerted a heavy burden on the Sudan's meager and deteriorating foreign exchange resources and have worsened its negative trade balance. Therefore, the domestic resources for wheat production should be fully utilized. The gap between potential yield and farmers' yields needs to be closed. In addition, to reduce wheat consumption and increase demand for sorghum, which is the traditional staple, the government should remove the high subsidy on bread prices.
