Al-Gadharef, Aug. 10, 2026 (SUNA) – A meeting of the Council of Ministers of Al-Gadharef State Government, chaired by Wali Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Hassan, discussed with Federal Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Professor Ismat Gurashi and his accompanying delegation arrangements for the successful implementation of the 2026–2027 summer agricultural season, as well as challenges facing the agricultural sector in the state. The meeting was held on Monday at the Secretariat of Al-Gadharef State Government, in the presence of Director-General of the Agricultural Bank of Sudan Salah Al-Din Mohamed Abdel-Rahim, state ministers, a number of agricultural sector officials and directors-generals of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. During the meeting, the Wali of Al-Gadharef State affirmed that the state had developed an integrated plan for the success of the summer agricultural season, stressing the importance of holding coordination sessions with the directorates of plant protection, forestry, horticulture and agricultural research to help address challenges and support agricultural production. For his part, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Professor Dr. Ismat Gurashi affirmed that the ministry’s visit to the state was aimed at assessing the problems and challenges facing the agricultural season and working to address them. He praised the role of the Agricultural Bank and the concerted efforts to develop the agricultural sector. Professor Gurashi explained that the issue of seeds was receiving special attention from the ministry, noting the signing of an agreement with the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD) concerning tree belts, in addition to activating the Agricultural Risk Mitigation Fund. The minister revealed arrangements to launch a number of programs in the coming days, particularly in the field of digital transformation. He said the ministry was working to prepare and develop 12 acts, alongside efforts to indigenize the production of pesticides and fertilizers and to develop the soil laboratory and pesticide laboratory. He also referred to efforts to resolve the agricultural machinery problem in Al-Gadharef State and highlighted attention to the horticulture project, calling for a workshop on horticulture involving various ministries and sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. The Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation also announced that the ministry had received the optimal map for developing forests in all states of Sudan, affirming that the plant protection situation was reassuring. In the same context, Director-General of the Agricultural Bank of Sudan Dr. Salah Al-Din Mohamed Abdel-Rahim said the bank had financed the summer agricultural season, noting that Al-Gadharef State received between 60 and 65 percent of the total financing provided by the bank to the agricultural sector. He explained that the bank had injected approximately 500 billion Sudanese pounds to finance the first phase, of which Al-Gadharef State received about 300 billion Sudanese pounds. This contributed to farmers in the state completing the establishment phase, while the second phase of the season, known as the Kudeib (weeding) phase, has now begun. Abdel-Rahim said the Agricultural Bank covers most localities of Al-Gadharef State, while work is underway to establish branches in two localities that have not yet been covered by direct banking finance. He affirmed that Al-Gadharef State is expected to play a major role for the bank during the coming phase, particularly with plans to establish 18 grain storage silos, which would increase storage capacity by approximately one million tons. He said Al-Gadharef would be the main center for managing these silos. Abdel-Rahim added that the Agricultural Bank implements approximately 40 percent of the extension plan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, affirming full coordination between the two sides and the bank’s readiness to finance a number of essential needs of the agricultural sector in the state.BH/BH