The chairperson of the Farmers Union in Renk County of Upper Nile State says more than 8,000,000 kilograms of cash crops such as Gum Arabic and Sesame have been smuggled to Sudan this year.

Salah Deng Thiok told Eye Radio that Gum Arabic and Sesame are the cash crops being smuggled to Sudan because farmers in Renk have no market for these crops in South Sudan at the moment.

“This year and last year the farmers stocked sesame in Renk and because of the absence of market,” Mr Salah said.

“These crops have been smuggled into Sudan, and our brothers in the north have benefited from these by gaining hard currency more than South Sudan,” he said.

Mr. Thiok said that production in Renk County this year is very high.

He appealed to the National Government and the international community to buy the cash crops from Renk instead of purchasing them from abroad.