Some female traders in Torit main market in Eastern Equatoria State have raised concerns over decrease in sales income in this month of January.
Others say during the last two months, they used to receive a lot of customers buying their goods.
Helen Nakai who deals with clothes for both children and adults says currently there is less money she receives from her sales compared to the other months.
She says it makes it hard for her to fulfil some of the basic needs and also paying her rent among others.
“There is no money we are just coming to passed time than staying at home without work, off course you can come, when you get something small today, you can able to pay with the rent of the place that you are working in and you can get small for food and the others for renting the house than staying idle but now there is no money, I am telling them that people have to be patient today when you did not get, Tomorrow you will get God is great because all the days are not the same there is the day that God will give and another day God will give to your brother because it’s not in one place always”, Nakai complains.
Esther Imoya, who sells maize grains, encourages traders to continue carrying out the businesses despite the crisis.
“The customers are coming one by one, sometimes people are staying, sometimes when they buy from you few you can thank God for that. My message to that Awarawara we are saying the lost is not the sickness when you are sick at home you will not get anything but when you sell this thing and you get lost when you are not sick tomorrow you will get”, she cheers traders.
Margret Apichi, who sells maize grains and other grains, says currently people buy maize flour while eliminating those who are selling the maize grains due to the economic crisis.
She also mentions that there is low supply of the maize grains in Torit market causing the price of the maize grains to rise up.
“Market is now not good people in Torit here are now used to the issue of buying the flour where they don’t know where the flour come from, people are just going to buy the flour from the market, they are now not used to buying the maize, now the maize that we have cultivated is now very few to the people who has cultivated, we used to buy from the people from Loudo, we are buying from the people of Magwi now this days they are not bringing, and even it is not there, we are staying in the ,market here Idle”, Apichi regrets.
Josephine Kuriya who deals in kitchen utensils, says the festive season has taken most of the money that is why there is low turn of customers in this first month of the year.
“Christmas has taken the money, so I feel the affection of the market also has taken place because of the back to school and also the Christmas the way it has gone. So I think of what now is remaining in our mother’s pocket because the children are now food that is the one they are buying in the market but these other commodities they are moving but slow. I want to say the year has not begun very badly although the market now is just moving but it is slow. Otherwise the sun is very hot. We feel sleepy because it is not busy but still we believe that it will be well”, she encourages.
The speakers made the statement to Radio Emmanuel in Torit, Eastern Equatoria State.