By Bida Elly David
South Sudan has applauded the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (SSNBS) for quick action on the toxic maize impounded in Nimule.
Recently, a high-level committee comprising members from the two countries was constituted to investigate and resolve the trade standoff over the impounded goods at the Elegu border.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for South Sudan National Bureau of Standards (SSNBS), Mary Gordon blamed traders for export of toxic goods but not Ugandan authorities.
“We don’t have issues with Uganda; we are trading very well with them, but we need to trade fairly, and we need quality goods because at the moment we have big issues with our health,” she said.
Mary commended the role played by the Ugandan National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) in detecting and destroying the substandard goods returned from the Nimule border.
She said that it indicates the good spirit of the neighborhood.
“The goods that have passed the test we accepted and the ones that have failed we rejected. We have to thank Uganda,” Mary lauded.
She said goods tested and failed without custom duties paid were returned to the Ugandan government to deal with them.
Mary urged the Ugandan government to work towards strengthening their bilateral relationship with South Sudan since signs of standoffs have partly jeopardized the friendship.
“We give Uganda credit because they are really cooperating with us. They look at issues critically,” she continued.
According to Mary, the Ministry of Trade and Investment visited the UNBS to see how the system works because it is now affecting the bilateral relationship.
Mary, however, slammed the customs department at the Nimule border for having cleared the commodities before they underwent examination by the national bureau of Standards.
She said those goods that entered South Sudan were cleared by customs, paid the customs duties, and everything was done without first checking the qualities.
“The process by the customs in Nimule was wrong; it was supposed to be checked by the bureau first,” Mary challenged.
Mary said what the bureau did at the border was only to detain trucks so that they undergo thorough examination but not to destroy them until the results were processed.
“What happened to those products at Nimule was only detention; we did not confiscate them”. She clarified.
She said that there were over 70 trucks full of assorted goods, most of which were maize flour and wheat.