France loads first wheat shipment to Sudan in 18 years

It was not immediately clear if the French wheat cargo for Sudan represented a replacement for Russian or Ukrainian supplies, traders said.

But Russia has been by far the largest supplier to Sudan. In the first half of 2026, wheat imports from Russia were worth $341 million out of a total $381 million, figures from Sudan’s central bank showed.

In volume terms, Sudan imported about 1.3 million tonnes in the first half of the year, according to the central bank.

The US Department of Agriculture expects Sudan’s annual imports to reach 2.8 million tonnes in the 2026/27 season, maintaining an increase in import demand seen since the start of Sudan’s civil war in 2023.

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz and Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Joe Bavier)