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More smuggling to Bahr al-Ghazal; prices drop

The prices of goods in Northern Bahr el Ghazal continue to drop due to efforts by traders to smuggle goods into the state from the north. Four main routes are generally used, one via Meiram, and others via Kiir Adem, Mayom and Gok Machar. “Our traders are smuggling goods from Sudan and this allows prices to start decreasing within the state,” said Wol Amou, secretary-general of the state chamber of commerce. He said that smuggling increased after a meeting some months ago between local authorities at the border, who decided to allow goods to their areas respectively.   Northern traders last month told Radio Tamazuj that they came under pressure to resume the trade in part because goods stockpiled in Meiram and other towns were coming close to expiry, owing to the long blockade. Garang Bol, a trader at the market, attributed the decreasing prices to the heavy flow of commodities from South Kordofan through Meiram to Majook Nyithiou Payam of Northern Bahr el Ghazal. A bag of sugar 50 kg has dropped in price from 400 to 310 SSP, sorghum 50 kgs from 300 to 270 SSP, 50 kg of groundnuts from 200 to 130 SSP, rice of 50 kg from 190 to 130 SSP, and a kilo of meat from 15 to 10 SSP, sega flour from 300 to 220 SSP, oil of 20 lt from 200 to 150 SSP and flour for bread from 400 to 280 SSP. Meanwhile, some traders continue to import goods from East African countries, but they complain of the poor exchange rate of the South Sudanese pound to the US dollar.

February 21, 2013 AWEIL

The prices of goods in Northern Bahr el Ghazal continue to drop due to efforts by traders to smuggle goods into the state from the north.

Four main routes are generally used, one via Meiram, and others via Kiir Adem, Mayom and Gok Machar. “Our traders are smuggling goods from Sudan and this allows prices to start decreasing within the state,” said Wol Amou, secretary-general of the state chamber of commerce.

He said that smuggling increased after a meeting some months ago between local authorities at the border, who decided to allow goods to their areas respectively.  

Northern traders last month told Radio Tamazuj that they came under pressure to resume the trade in part because goods stockpiled in Meiram and other towns were coming close to expiry, owing to the long blockade.

Garang Bol, a trader at the market, attributed the decreasing prices to the heavy flow of commodities from South Kordofan through Meiram to Majook Nyithiou Payam of Northern Bahr el Ghazal.

A bag of sugar 50 kg has dropped in price from 400 to 310 SSP, sorghum 50 kgs from 300 to 270 SSP, 50 kg of groundnuts from 200 to 130 SSP, rice of 50 kg from 190 to 130 SSP, and a kilo of meat from 15 to 10 SSP, sega flour from 300 to 220 SSP, oil of 20 lt from 200 to 150 SSP and flour for bread from 400 to 280 SSP.

Meanwhile, some traders continue to import goods from East African countries, but they complain of the poor exchange rate of the South Sudanese pound to the US dollar.