South Sudan becoming ‘a dumping ground’ for regional expired goods – minister

JUBA — South Sudan’s minister of environment, Josephine Napon Cosmos, has said that the world’s youngest country has become a dumping ground for all regional expired goods urging citizens to embrace farming to produce ‘our food locally.”

The minister made the remarks during opening of a three-day national conference on agriculture and food security under the theme: “Let’s Produce what We Eat,” held in Juba Monday.

“The food that we are consuming sometimes is risky for the people of South Sudan health because we import everything from neighboring countries including expired goods,” Napon said.

“Sometimes our business people bring expire goods which I believe and know that the Ministry of Trade will shed light on it,” Cosmos further said.

“There is no other alternative because South Sudan has become a dumping ground for all source of business, whether it is expired or not,” she added.

In May 2019, in Kenya, sugar that expired in 2015 were packaged in bags with dates that indicate that it will expire in 2020 and 2022 and sold to unsuspecting Kenyans, some of which found their way to South Sudan according to Minister of Environment, Josephine Napon Cosmos.

“I can give an example when there was a sugar issue in the Republic of Kenya, I think that was some years back; I think the sugar has mercury on it. Some of these sugars got its way to South Sudan,” she claimed.

The government official further urged the country’s Ministry of Trade and Industry to examine all food supplies entering the country from abroad.

“I also want to urge the Ministry of Trade and Industry to look into this issue of expired food entering the Republic of South Sudan,” she added.