One of the leading peanut producers in the world, Sudan, has banned the export of raw peanuts and has decided to process them in-country and export more profitable secondary products.
According to a report by online news outlet Africa News, peanut traders around the world have lamented the ban, saying they were caught off-guard by the sudden move.
Rimaz Ahmed, commercial director of Abnaa Sayed Elobeid, one of the country’s major export companies, said they were given no warning at all.
"We, as an exporting company, were very surprised by the decision because there was no advance notice for us in an appropriate period in order to prepare,” said Ahmed.
According to the Africa News report, Sudan’s Trade Minister, Madani Abbas Madani, defended the halting of exports, which he claimed would "maximise the market value of peanuts and the added value of Sudanese products in light of climate change which affects the quality".
According to statistics website Atlas Big, worldwide, 44 041 913 tons of peanuts are produced each year.
China is the largest peanut producer in the world, with 16 685 915 tons of production volume a year.
According to a 2018 report on the world’s top peanut-producing countries, Sudan is the world's fifth, producing 1 826 000 tons a year.
Meanwhile, according to online daily news outlet Arab News, before the trade ban, peanuts were Sudan’s fifth biggest international earner after gold, sesame, oil and livestock.
- African News Agency.
