What is the current state of Sudan's sugar industry and what factors have contributed to its decline?

Sudan's sugar industry has suffered extensive devastation, estimated to cost at least $350 million to repair. While the country has six sugar factories with a combined production capacity of nearly half a million tons annually, most are no longer operational due to severe damage from recent conflicts. Decades of political turmoil, economic mismanagement, and US sanctions have progressively weakened the industry, transforming productive farms into wastelands. These long-term challenges, compounded by recent conflicts, have critically undermined Sudan's domestic sugar production capabilities, threatening the country's agricultural self-sufficiency and affecting farmers' livelihoods.