Rubkona County of Unity State these days has witnessed a rise in flour prices in spite of the national government’s recent steps toward implementation of the trade agreement with Sudan.

Traders in the area complain of high taxes and levies imposed on them by local authorities. The most recent tax has been added by officers under authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Prices for a sack of sorghum have risen from 450 to 470 South Sudanese pounds, flour in amounts of 20 kg rose from 80 to 120 pounds, and a quarter kilo of maize increased from 35 to 40 SSP.

A number of traders who spoke to Radio Tamazuj from Rubkona County attributed the reason for increased prices in the local markets to the presence of a number of customs collecting points and the high costs of transportation from Juba to the county.

“The price of the sorghum sack was 450 before, then officers from the forest administration added 20 pounds to make it 470. We said sorghum is a basic consumer commodity which is not supposed to have high tax. What the customs officers added we add it on the citizens. So this is why we are asking because we do bring these commodities from the rest of the states by boats with an amount of 450 SSP,” a trader explained.

The forest service is within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in the state.

File photo: Boats on the Nile (UK Embassy).