By Mamer Abraham
Upper Nile State government is considering procuring food items from the border town of Renk in a bid to subsidize commodity prices.
Luka Away Nyebil, Director-General of Upper Nile State Ministry of Trade and Industry disclosed in an exclusive interview that the move is meant to lower the runaway prices in the state capital, Malakal.
“On the other side, we will ask the government, or we will ask the big traders, or if we can get money, the ministry of trade, if it can get money, we can bring some goods from Renk, particularly Dura (Sorghum). We can just ask for such an amount of dura, and then it can be sold at a lower price,” he said.
Nyebil noted that the Ministry of Trade would borrow a certain amount of money from the State Ministry of Finance and later refund after the consignment is sold to citizens.
“We will ask the Ministry of Finance to give us some money, and then we will ask them to repay it,” Nyebil stated.
Common goods are currently expensive in Malakal, with a 50-kg sack of wheat flour costing about 85,000 SSP, 20 kg of rice costing 40,000 SSP, and 50 kg of sugar costing 95,000 SSP; 20 liters of oil also cost 50,000 SSP, which are higher prices compared to their initial prices before the economic crisis.
The governor of Upper Nile State was directed by President Salva Kiir Mayardit during his swearing-in ceremony to unite the people and ensure there is peace and stability in the state.
Although relative peace currently exists and stability has spread its tentacles across the state, ordinary citizens still bear the brunt of expensive commodity prices in the market.
The governor conducts a routine market visit to check on the prices of commodities, and he holds talks with traders to acquaint himself with matters affecting the traders and the citizens.