Darfur hit hard by rising prices

The prices of consumer goods and necessities which are rising across Sudan have increased disproportionately in Darfur, making life in the cities, villages and settlements overwhelmingly intolerable.

The prices of basic commodities have continued to rise daily in Khartoum and across Sudan, attributed to the approval of the 2018 budget and the rise in the customs price of the US Dollar to SDG 18.

“These effects are being felt disproportionally in Darfur,” callers told Radio Dabanga. The price of kilogramme of meat in Darfur's large cities such as El Fasher and Nyala has risen to more than SDG 100 ($15*), although the province is the main source of livestock.

An employee in El Fasher told Radio Dabanga that his monthly salary is less than the price of a single sack of millet, let alone the other consumer goods.

The price of millet in Mukjar of Central Darfur has risen to SDG1,000 ($145), along with a rise of the price of bread. Angry residents in Mukjar told Radio Dabanga that living has become very difficult as daily prices have continued to rise.

‘Tight controls’

The Ministry of Trade has announced the imposition of tight controls and measures on prices of goods and services in the local markets.

Minister of Trade, Hatim El Sir, announced at a press conference the formation of an economic committee to prevent the flare-up of consumer goods prices after the rise in the customs price of the US Dollar to SDG 18 effective from the beginning of this year.

He said: “The free market policy that we implement does not in any way mean chaos in the markets… In consumer prices, the government will not stand idly by in the face of high commodity prices and market failures.”

El Gedaref

Workers and employee in El Gedaref have complained of the skyrocketing of prices.

They explained that prices of goods are increasing steadily while the maximum wage of workers is not more than SDG 3,000 ($427).

They have also complained of the increase of tariff of domestic transportation.

Kassala

A resident of Kassala said the bread crisis is still ongoing and called on the government to address the problem. The owners of bakeries in Kassala have protested against the high rise in the prices of production inputs and imposition and increase of taxes.

A bakery owner told Radio Dabanga that that the daily wage of workers is SDG 75 ($10.50) in addition to other bread production costs including increase in the tariff of electricity for the bread industry.

*Based on the official US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS)