By Bida Elly David
The chairperson of Central Equatoria State chamber of commerce has slammed the national bureau of standards and the ministry of trade against presence of expired and toxic goods in the country.
Speaking to No.1.Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday, Robert Pitia, the head of CES chamber of commerce said that the high rate of death among young people in the Country was due to uncontrollable consumption of strong alcoholic drinks such as gin.
“The blame should go to South Sudan Bureau of standards and the ministry of trade. The chamber of commerce only plays the role of coordinating traders with the final consumers ensuring that prices of goods are compromised amicably,” he said saying that they have failed to deliver.
Pitia underscored that South Sudan has become a dumping site of all types of toxic alcohol such as the Royal gin, Kick gin, Disco gin among other types whose main consumers are the youth who end up becoming the victims.
He said that it was the role of the national bureau of standards to ensure laboratory examination of any commodity imported by traders into the Country.
He called on the two ministries to revise their services to the citizens of the nation before more young people lose their lives.
“The government has failed to control prices of goods because of the foreign external factors that is why business people fix prices the way they need. Traders across the Country operate under free market system because the Country majorly focuses on imports since there is no domestic production,” he said.
Pitia calls for protection policy through thorough examination of recreational drinks, and other goods in the laboratory.
“We need any type of goods to be tested in order to know its quality and effects to the final consumers. Our citizens need to be protected from external factors and threats,” he reiterated.
He said that the Country should not be after the quantity of goods imported but rather the quality that positively impact on consumers’ lives.
He added that the national authority should revise the tax policy which currently plights all the markets across the Country.