FILE PHOTO: Trucks await clearance at the Nimule yard, Tuesday, 7 September 2021 | Credit | Daniel Deng

South Sudan National Bureau of Standards has revealed that the country is feeding on substandard food due to inability to examine imported goods.

South Sudan rely entirely on Kenya and Uganda for all of its imports.

Tomatoes, onions, maize flour, rice, cooking oil, dairy products and beans are some of the food items still being imported from neighboring countries.

Mary Gordon Muortat is the Chief Executive Officer of South Sudan National Bureau of Standard.

She says this has been happening because her institutions lack the resources to protect South Sudan from harmful products.

“I am sure majority of us are being affected health wise because of lack of proper well importation of quality and standard goods. Our operation have been lacking the capacity to actually protect South Sudan from anything that enter through its border”, Muortat spoke on Friday, during the 5th Governors’ Forum in Juba.

Mrs. Muortat also disclosed that over 500 bags of inferior sorghum have been impounded which were meant for the South Sudan Peoples Defense Forces or the SSPDF.

“We have more than 500 bags of sorghum that are totally substandard being brought to our military”, she reveals.

The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs confirmed the importation of the food adding that, directives have been given for the sorghum to be destroyed.

Angelina Teny however did not name the company that bought the 500 bags of sorghum for the army.

“We already given ourselves directives that we are not taking that food and I told them to destroy”, Angelina says.

South Sudan apparently lacks the human resource and relevant technology to detect and counter the importation of fake goods into the country.

This, coupled with porous border points, according to observers exposes South Sudanese to health hazards due to consumption of substandard food items.