Commercial trucks convoy from Uganda. - Courtesy

An official of the National Ministry of Finance said about 400 trucks of different food items are heading to South Sudan through Nimule town to be distributed to subsidized food stores in the country.

The shipment of foodstuffs would be sold at a cheaper price in Juba and other towns to alleviate the high cost of living brought about by the economic crisis.

Malual Tap Dieu, the First Undersecretary in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, said the trucks are expected to arrive in Juba on Friday.

Undersecretary Tap sid the goods will be sold at lower prices in the newly inaugurated food stores to stabilize commodity prices in the market.

“One of the huge burdens is the high food prices for our common citizens. Hopefully, this will be a relief to the citizens,” he said.

“And as we stand here right now already, we have more than 100 trucks loaded with assorted food items here, and more than 300 or 400 trucks on the way.”

“I am already in Nimule do so in the next two to three days, expect the market to be fully stabilized by this, you know act that we are now putting into practice.”

On his part, the First Undersecretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Kuol Daniel Ayulo, says the government is working to expand the distribution of food to the state-level.

Kuol said the president already issued directives to institutions that are dealing with the stabilization of market prices.

“We are aiming to expand even to the state level. We are not ending here, and this is to inform the public that the president is concerned about the lives of the citizens of this country.”

“He issued a directive to all the government institutions that are dealing with the stabilization of market prices.”

South Sudan’s pound currency has continued to weaken drastically against the United States dollar, triggering a sharp increase in commodity prices across the country.

The country has lately been hit by economic hardships that have left the government struggling to pay civil servants salaries, as the public workforce goes for months without its dues.

The situation has been blamed on dwindling revenue due to the impact of the war in Sudan and the Red Sea blockade on the country’s previous oil export.

The Central Bank exchange rate posted on Thursday, March 7, 2024, shows one dollar trading at an average of 1,618 South Sudanese pounds, while in the black market, one dollar cost nearly 1,800 pounds.

On Wednesday, the National Ministry of Trade and Industry officiated six food stores selling maize in Juba to enable the public to buy food at subsidized prices amid soaring inflation in the country.

The ministry’s first undersecretary, Kuol Daniel Ayulo, said the initiative serves as a short- and long-term solution to curb high prices of essential goods in the market.

The subsidized maize flour can be found in six stores in the areas of Hai Referendum, Konyo-Konyo, New Site, Jebel Dinka, Munuki and Sherikat.

The stores offer a 50 kg bag of Maize floor at 30,000 SSP compared to the market prices of 55,000 SSP or more.