Vegetables on sale at Konyo-konyo market in Juba - credit | Moyo Jacob/Eye Radio | April 19, 2022

Some Juba City residents have complained about the sharp rise of commodity prices in the market caused by the depreciation of the local currency against the U.S. dollar.

On Thursday, the South Sudanese pound fell to its weakest level against the dollar since 2011 – leaving the exchange rate close to the one-thousand benchmark.

The exchange rate for one U.S. dollar in the Forex market is 970 South Sudanese pounds and 938 in the Central Bank.

Ajok Mathiang, a consumer and broker at the Jebel market said the inflation has made everything expensive including the cheapest commodities and services.

“I run around just like this, and everything as you see is expensive. Food is so expensive when I buy things in sacks, it’s not even enough,” he told Eye Radio.

“I have my brothers children staying with me at home plus my own children and my wife. I make about 15,000 SSP a week, and after that week I have to buy food items in sacks again.”

Mathiang said the price of a cup of tea has jumped from SSP.100 to SSP.400 in five months.

He says his 15,000 wages per week are not enough to cater to his family’s needs when the price of 50 kilograms of flour is now ranging from SSP.35,000 to SSP.45,000.

“Now, a sack of flour is 35,000 SSP that’s even second class. The first class is 45,000 and buying water is even a problem in my area. We push hard sometimes when there is nothing at all we just sleep like that no food.”

Some charcoal sellers and boda-boda riders have also decried the hike in commodity prices saying the worsening exchange rate has left them unable to afford basic needs.