The government of Lakes State on Wednesday started the distribution and sale of 15,000 bags of sorghum at a subsidized price of SSP 25,000 for each 90-kilogram bag to local citizens.
The sorghum was procured from neighboring Sudan.
The minister of trade and industry in Lakes State, Rebecca Enock Machuoc, told Radio Tamazuj that each of the eight counties in the state will receive 1,000 bags of sorghum.
“These food items are supplied by the Government of South Sudan and are distributed according to the situation of local citizens in the country,” she said. “We discussed and agreed that each bag should be sold to local citizens at the subsidized price of SSP 25,000 and the distribution was launched on Wednesday and every county will receive 1,000 bags of sorghum.”
“About 6,000 bags will remain in the state capital Rumbek for the citizens there,” she added.
Meanwhile, Andrea Magok Bol, a Rumbek town resident, said he was happy to purchase sorghum at an affordable price.
“I bought a bag of sorghum at the affordable price of SSP 25,000 per bag and I thank the government for delivering services to the citizens in Lakes State,” he beamed. “Even if one has no money, he can sell a goat and buy one bag of sorghum at an affordable price to survive.”
Another resident, Aluel Mabor Achol, faulted traders for hiking commodity prices and lauded the governor for bringing affordable sorghum.
“The problem of traders in the market is that they keep increasing the price of food items and now the price of 50 kg of maize flour from Uganda is SSP 40,000 and 20 kg is sold at 15,000 in Rumbek Market,” he said. “The government has now succeeded to bring sorghum and sell it at the subsidized affordable price of 25,000 per 90 kg bag because citizens in the states are suffering.”
Mabor urged the state government not to allow traders to buy the subsidized sorghum, hoard it and later on sell it at exorbitant prices.