Easily digested and gluten-free, white sorghum is gaining popularity all around the globe. Although the United States is the most well-known origin for sorghum, Africa is growing its exports fast. Sudan is one of the largest producers of white sorghum and the sorghum from the country is of high quality and priced competitively, making it an attractive product for buyers from the Middle East.
Rising Demand for Gluten-free Alternatives Drives Demand for Sorghum
Sorghum is globally the fifth most important grain. Also referred to as seeds, it is thought to originate from Africa. Currently, the United States is the largest producer of the cereal, producing 9.2 million tons in 2017. Sorghum is the second most important grain in Africa, as it is a major source of sustenance for many Africans. The grain is drought-resistant but also able to withstand periods of water-logging, meaning it is able to survive the sometimes difficult African climate.
Sorghum is one of the most important crops in Africa due to its durability and ability to cope with extreme weather conditions, explains Jahjum Import & Export, a Sudanese producer and exporter of grains, seeds, and nuts. Sorghum seeds are very versatile and can be used to make sweeteners, ethanol, livestock feed, and bread. As it is a gluten-free cereal, it has recently become more popular as an alternative to wheat and is nowadays often used to make gluten-free bread and porridges. With the rapid increase in the demand for gluten-free foods, it is expected that the demand for sorghum will likewise increase.
White Sorghum: Ideal for Human Consumption
Sorghum is a very versatile cereal, with many different varieties. The grass varieties are often used for animal fodder, whereas grain sorghums are mainly used for food. Jahjum Import & Export grows high-quality white sorghum meant for human consumption. More and more research is showing that white sorghum is ideally suited for consumption, more so than the predominantly produced red sorghum. The starch in white sorghum can be digested easily, making it very suitable as a gluten-free alternative to wheat. It is also well-suited for livestock feed, as its nutrients are very energy-efficient.
Sudan is one of the largest producers of white sorghum in the world and exports most of its white sorghum production as well, as the domestic market mainly relies on other sorghum varieties. The season for white sorghum has just started and will run until the end of December. The main producing regions are the states of Al Qadarif and White Nile, located in the southeast of the country. Jahjum Import & Export expects that the quality of this season’s cereal will be very good, as there has been a very advantageous rainy season in Sudan.
Increasing Demand for Sudanese Sorghum
Jahjum Import & Export sees high demand in the Middle East, where the grain is well-known and widely used in different kinds of dishes, such as couscous. Sorghum from Sudan is slightly more expensive than sorghum from India, a major exporter of the cereal. Currently, the FOB price is approximately USD 360 per ton. Nevertheless, this is still a competitive price and the quality of Sudanese sorghum is very high. The sorghum seeds are generally bigger than sorghum seeds from other countries in Africa, such as Nigeria.
