The Sudanese date palm, and the farmers behind it

In the north of Sudan, along the Nile, the date palm is more than a tree. It is a family's savings, a guest's welcome, the first bite at sunset in Ramadan. Buying Sudanese dates is one of the simplest ways to help Sudan twice: the farmer is paid, and a family is fed.

Baskets of dates on the ground at a market — Illustrative photo. Photo: Hans Birger Nilsen, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (licence, cropped)

How many dates does Sudan grow?

FAO statistics put Sudan's date harvest at roughly 440,000 to 465,000 tonnes a year in recent years, among the world's top ten producers. Most of it grows in the Northern State and River Nile State, on the narrow green strip that the Nile waters in the desert.

Which varieties grow in Sudan?

Sudan is known for dry dates, which keep for a long time without a fridge. A study at the Elghaba scheme in the Northern State compared four varieties:

Barakawi and Gondaila: dry dates;
Mishrig Wad Khateeb: semi-dry, the best yielder in that study;
Madina: soft.

What did the war do to date farmers?

Much of the date trade used to pass through the markets of Khartoum. When the fighting reached the capital in 2023, farmers lost buyers and credit, and traders were left holding stock they could not sell. A harvest that cannot be sold is a year of work lost.

Choose "dates from Sudanese farmers" when you give, and your gift buys a harvest and fills a table.

Give a gift How it works

Why dates make a good gift

Dates are rich food that keeps, travels well and is loved in every Sudanese home. The Prophet ﷺ said to Aisha: "A household without dates, its people are hungry."

«يَا عَائِشَةُ بَيْتٌ لاَ تَمْرَ فِيهِ جِيَاعٌ أَهْلُهُ»
Sahih Muslim 2046. Sahih.

An irrigation canal with a palm-trunk bridge in Dongola — Illustrative photo. Photo: Hosam Badraldin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (licence, cropped)

How our gifts use dates

When a giver chooses dates, the volunteers buy them from Sudanese farmers or local sellers, not from abroad.
Each purchase goes into the ledger under "Dates (from Sudanese farmers)", with a receipt. Where a farmer agrees, their name or farm is shown; never a family's.
The ledger opens with the first gift; until then there is nothing to show, and we will not invent numbers.

Send a gift today

Choose what your gift becomes: dates from Sudanese farmers, eggs, grain, poultry, or wherever it is most needed. Follow it in the ledger from the wallet to the family.

Give a gift Share with a friend

Gifts to Sudan is a volunteer initiative, not a registered charity, and holds no licence. 100% of what you give buys gifts; we cover the fees on our side, and the public ledger shows them.