Land and settlement.The fertility of the land in the Sudan varies enormously, from the sterile desert wastes of Northern Kordofan and the Eastern Sudan to the rich soil bordering the river banks. There are also large tracts of fertile soil round Gedaref, Kassala and Tokar, where rich crops are grown with little effort.
Inducements are, according to circumstances, held out by the Government to would-be settlers in the shape of free or easy grants of lands, remission of taxes for a time, low rates of transport, etc., and purchasers and cultivators are slowly trickling in. The settlement, especially in view of the dearth of native population and labour, must necessarily be a slow one. As larger tracts are brought into cultivation, as canals are dug, and as irrigation and communications are improved, so will the export of cereals and produce of all sorts increase. The Nile-Red Sea Railway is expected to give Sudan trade a great impetus, and the population is rapidly increasing. But although those best qualified to judge are convinced of a great economic future before the country, it can hardly be expected that the Sudan will pay its own way for some years to come.
MARKET SCENE—GEZIRA.
Produce and Industries.The following is a list of the chief articles of produce of the Sudan, with the districts where such are mostly found:—
| Cotton | Throughout the Sudan in small quantities, but increasing in Dongola, Berber, and Gezira Provinces. |
| Hides | Kordofan and Eastern Desert. |
| Gum | Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Gedaref District. |
| Ivory | Bahr El Ghazal, Kordofan, and Upper Nile Provinces. |
| India-rubber | Bahr El Ghazal and Kordofan. |
| Feathers | Kordofan. |
| Woods | Chiefly up the White and Blue Niles and in the Bahr El Ghazal. |
| Grain and Cereals | Chiefly Dongola, Tokar, Gedaref, the Gezira, Sennar, and Upper Nile Provinces. |
| Sugar | Small quantities in Berber. Increasing. |
| Dates | Dongola. Best quality at Sukkot. |
| Gold | Indications in Northern Sudan and Upper Blue Nile. |
| Copper | Hofrat Nahas—Bahr El Ghazal. |
| Iron | Bahr El Ghazal and Kordofan. |
| Other Minerals | Kordofan, Upper Blue Nile and Abyssinian border, Eastern and Northern Sudan. |
| Mother of Pearl | Suakin. |
The native industries are, so far, limited in number. Cultivation is the usual occupation of the people. Cotton-cloth weaving, boat-building on the Niles, camel breeding in the northern and western deserts, and iron-smelting in the Bahr El Ghazal practically exhaust the list. Agricultural and industrial shows at the chief towns have, however, been started, and receive considerable support. Minor industries, such as pottery, leather work, improved carpentry, etc., are quickly coming to the fore.
CUSTOMS DUTIES.
For the purpose of Customs duties, the Sudan is, in the main, considered as forming a part of Egypt. The Government has, however, concluded a Customs Convention with Eritrea,[11] and applies practically the same principles to the co-terminous countries of Uganda, the Congo Free State, the French Congo and Abyssinia.
Broadly, goods exported to these countries from the Sudan pay 1 per cent. ad valorem, and imports from those countries 5 to 8 per cent.; whilst goods in transit thence receive a drawback equal in amount to the duty paid on entering the country, i.e., they can pass free of duty through the Sudan.[11]