FEWS Net has issued an alert for East Africa, stating that a delayed start to the annual June-September rains is threatening harvests throughout the region. While rainfall has improved in recent weeks, FEWS estimates that normal rainfall would need to not only continue for the remainder of the season but extend past the normal rainy season in order for crops to fully recover. In large areas of Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, total rainfall has been 20-50 percent lower than average.
The delay has been worst in eastern Sudan; in this area, rains began 30-40 days later than usual and planted area is 30 below average. Satellite imagery shows that in Sudan's most productive state, rainfall totals and vegetation conditions are at their lowest levels since 2001. The poor crop conditions have also lowered demand for agricultural labor, and have the potential to impact both domestic grain supplies and grain exports to neighboring Ethiopia and Eritrea.