‘Significant rise in inflation’: Sudan economist

The inflation rate in Sudan rose sharply during the month of August to 34.67 per cent. This is 1.11 per cent higher than in July.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Sudanese economic expert Dr Sidgi Kabello predicts a steady escalation in inflation rates as a result of the rise in prices of goods, and questioned the figures announced by the government in this regard.

Bread shortage

People of Khartoum Bahri are suffering of severe bread crisis. A resident of Teibat El Ahamda told Radio Dabanga that all the bakeries in the districts have been experiencing unprecedented overcrowding since last Monday.

He said people are unable to get the required quantities of bread.

The bakery owners attributed the crisis to the authorities’ reduction of flour quota by 75 per cent.

Hundreds of shop owners at El Soug El Shaabi refused to pay taxes to the government.

The merchants told Radio Dabanga that they closed their shops in protest against the payment of SDG 500 ($75) a month instead of SDG 1,200 ($180) a year.

The merchants renewed their categorical rejection of the government’s move to impose new taxes on them. They pointed out that they are required to pay annual taxes estimated at more than SDG 5,000 ($750), as well as payment of Zakat [Islamic alms], waste, electricity and locality fees.

People of Sawakin in the Red Sea state have complained of a rise in the price of water joz from carts to SDG 7 ($1.05).

Water price hike

Journalist Mohamed El Amin Osheik reported in an interview with Radio Dabanga the rise of water prices and attributed that to lack of government control.

He said Sawakin desalination station has returned to work after more than a week of disruptions.

He expressed surprise at the rise in prices despite the abundance of water.

He explained that water prices have become burdensome to the residents and called on locality and state authorities to intervene to control water prices.

In Central Sudan, El Gezira and El Managil Scheme farmers have warned of the failure of summer crops because of drought.

Yesterday a farmer from El Gezira told Radio Dabanga that the genetically modified cotton, corn, groundnut and vegetables are threatened with failure for problems related to irrigation.

He held the irrigation engineers responsible for the lack of water flow in the canals because of the imposition of complex administrative procedures on the farmers.

He pointed out that the irrigation engineers asked the farmers to bring the irrigation order from the Scheme management accompanied by the identification of the required water cubes, the project and the area of the project and the type of planted crops.

He said that farmers were unable to provide the required information because of time constraints.