The Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) plans to regulate the prices of imported foodstuff to ensure that the recently enacted tax exemption policy on food imports brings a reduction in prices of food in the shops.
GoSS Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, David Deng Athorbei, told Good News Radio that the government will coordinate with the various states across the region to stop all forms of taxation on food imports.Mr. Deng added that the new GoSS policy is meant to reduce the prices on foodstuff by 25 percent.
Mr. Deng explained that the decision to lift taxation on foodstuff coming into Southern Sudan was made at last Friday’s Council of Ministers after an assessment by the Ministry of Agriculture on the food situation in Southern Sudan.
The Minister explained that South Sudan is under severe shortage of food due to low rains.
The World Food Programme says that more than half of the people in South Sudan face food insecurity.
As a result, many families in Southern Sudan are suffering from malnutrition and the prices are well beyond the pockets of the majority of the population.