Central Equatoria State Chamber of commerce has warned traders in Juba markets over-exaggeration of food commodities prices.
It says the department learned with regret about the ongoing increase in prices.
In a media briefing, the Chamber of Commerce’s Chairperson, Robert Pitia Francis, said the market must have a unified and fair price to avoid cheating the consumers.
Mr. Pitia says the traders in the market are exploiting the civil population by forging the prices that fit their interests, which he describes as against the country’s law.
He says white sugar goes for 19 thousand; wheat flour is over 18 thousand, and 50 kilograms of maize flour goes to 11,500 Pounds.
He called for immediate price reduction and warned that any traders who failed to comply with government regulations would be punished or confiscated their business operation license.
“If someone is not being prosecuted or the license revoked, other people will start doing that, and we also want to send the message now that anything you do wrong has a consequence,” he said.
Mr. Pitia acknowledges that the South Sudan market is an open type of market, but that does not stop the government from putting out regulations to protect the lives of the south Sudanese who depend on foreign goods.
Pitia also appealed to the UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations to empower women in business by giving them enough loans.
He says most of the women are head of their families and support their children by putting food on the table and paying school fees.
“There are now some Organizations working giving out loans, but it is not enough because we have women in the market who need support.”
He encouraged female traders to mobilize funds and bring goods from the neighboring countries. The traders are not yet comment on the accusation levelled against them.