This report is part of an exclusive series, ‘War Economy’, which focuses on the economic situation in South Sudan.
Imports to South Sudan’s Northern Bahr al Ghazal State from neighboring Sudan have slowed in recent days, pushing up food prices. This comes after Sudanese traders in the state capital Aweil protested increased criminality following the looting of four shops in a single night.
The price of one loaf of bread has increased for the first time to one South Sudanese pound.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, the secretary-general for the state chamber of commerce Wol Amuk said, “About the bread, I heard that the sack of flour becomes 350, 370 and going up. Secondly, the bread itself used to be two small ones for a pound, but now one bread which is a little bigger costs a pound. The two little ones were put together into a bigger one and charged at one pound.”
“The reason is the increase of price of flour. Flour is becoming expensive.” He noted, “The cause of everything is that no [trade] vehicles are not coming from the north.”
Dut Anei, a baker, said they can no longer profit by selling two bread loaves for only 1 SSP. “If we sell two breads for one pound we will lose our commission – that is why we sell one bread with one pound so that we keep our income,” he said.
Photo: Bread sellers at Aweil market, 27 March 2015
Related:
Northern Bahr al Ghazal police arrested suspected burglar (24 March)
Traders in Aweil protest increasing robberies in market (19 March)