South Sudan’s trade with Uganda dips- report
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South Sudan’s trade with Uganda dipped in the month of April with the worth of Ugandan exports dropping to US$37.7 million from US$45.7 million in the previous month.
This is a 21 per cent decrease.
According to the Ugandan Central Bank, the country not only registered a setback in the trade with South Sudan but a similar trend replicated in its trade dealings with Kenya.
For example in the case of Kenya, the data from the country’s central bank reveals that Uganda’s exports to Kenya dropped to US$38.4 million from US$49.9 million in the previous month. This figure only represents a US$0.1 million increase from July 2020’s performance, when Uganda registered all-time low exports to Kenya.
Uganda exports poultry products, sugar and cereals to the Kenyan market. But the Kenyan authorities have been pushing to limit the imports citing the need to support local production.
The blockades are playing out despite the Joint Ministerial Commission Decision which sat in March 2019 and began the plan to ensure that Uganda would export 90,000 metric tonnes of sugar to Kenya duty-free beginning July 2021.
Uganda remains the transit hub and point of origin for several if not all goods consumed in South Sudan. However, the transit of goods from Uganda to Juba suffered a blow after unknown gunmen terrorised traders and burnt trucks in separate incidents, killing four Ugandan drivers.
Truck drivers declined to drive to the South Sudanese capital, Juba, as they called on the South Sudanese government to offer protection. In a matter of days, the truckers were back on the road but the prices of commodities created by the resultant shortage still remained high.
