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Abe Abraham
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Minister of Trade: We have opened alternative ports for “Port Sudan” in neighboring countries.

Post by Abe Abraham » 20 Oct 2021, 15:51

Minister of Trade: We have opened alternative ports for “Port Sudan” in neighboring countries.


Minister of Commerce Ali Gedo
Sudanese Minister of Trade and Supply Ali Gedo confirmed that goods entering the country are imported through alternative ports to Port Sudan, after it was closed.

These ports include Ain Sukhna in Egypt, Benghazi in Libya, and Chad via the Darfur region of western Sudan.

The Minister of Trade and Supply said in exclusive statements to "Al-Ain Al-Akhbar": The government will not give up or neglect the Port of Port Sudan, and there will be negotiations that will lead to an agreement with our people in the east to end this crisis.

Gedo announced the visit of the Director of the World Trade Organization to Khartoum next February regarding Sudan's accession to the international organization.

And the text of the interview.

What are the alternatives to the government after the closure of Port Sudan port?

The Sudanese government has taken alternative options, including importing through other ports such as Ain Sukhna in Egypt, through Libya, and Chad with the borders of the Darfur region.

Do alternative options for ports mean the government cedes Port Sudan?

We cannot give up the port of Port Sudan, as it is the main port, and the government will not overdo it. There will certainly be negotiations that will lead to an agreement with our people in the east, especially since the east has real issues. This does not mean stopping the country, so there are other options.

Why focus on Port Sudan port only?

Because it is the first port in the country, and the state depends on it as the main port, and it is a transit point for a number of countries, in addition to its important strategic position on the Red Sea coast, and therefore we want to preserve it as a government and return it as it was.

Is the cost of importing through these ports greater than Port Sudan?

The cost of the Egyptian ports is not great compared to the port of Port Sudan through the line linking Khartoum - Dongola in the Northern State.

What are the steps of the Ministry of Commerce to provide merchandise stock?

The ministry is part of the National Chamber of Commodities, which provides accurate information on the strategic stock of commodities and their distribution to the states. As for the state of Darfur, it is one of the states that has a good stock of commodities, especially flour due to their low consumption.

How to reassure the citizen of Khartoum about the position of the flour?

There are vans loaded with flour on their way to Khartoum from Dongola in the northern state, and therefore the current crisis and the return of queues in front of bakeries will end within the next two days, after the arrival of large quantities of flour.

What about the unavailability of sugar and its high prices?

We have opened importing the commodity during the past few days in large quantities, including about 800,000 tons, and other quantities will also come from Egypt through the Ain Sukhna port, so its price will drop from 21 thousand to the previous price of 12 thousand.

What are the results of the ministry's recent campaign in the markets to reduce commodity prices?

The campaign started since last July, through a tour of the markets to find out the prices, compared to the real cost, then educate the citizen about the law for price speculators and limit the rise, and in the second stage the cost will be determined through a study that was supposed to start last August, but It was postponed due to emergency circumstances.

There are also visits to factories to find out the real cost of any commodity from the factory, and the ministry also has companies that will import, and the Ministry of Commerce aims by companies to determine the price by setting price lists in commodity distribution centers and cooperatives, in addition to the My Goods program.

What is the date of the campaign to put price lists in the market?

The campaign will start next November and will work to reduce the greed of speculative traders and market manipulators.

What decisions are taken regarding export earnings?

New controls and regulations have been put in place, one of the features of which is the responsibility and control of the Ministry of Commerce over the proceeds of exports according to the regulation. Previously, anyone was allowed to issue without any controls, as well as fictitious contracts, and the lack of any guarantee with banks, where exporters are manipulated and escape from Export proceeds by changing the name of the business.

Now, one of the new controls is to allow the export of real exporters, in addition to the existence of a real contract in which the name of the exporter and importer is given, and the orders and invoices are signed and approved, and then it becomes an electronic contract.

The number of exporters was also counted and examined by the Supply Investigations to ensure that the source was real, in addition to controlling the banks by placing a guarantee check for the bank for the proceeds of exports.

Has the ministry set import regulations?

Indeed, guiding regulations have been set, including that the importer has a known record, and there is a contract between the exporter in the other country, and a bank guarantee.

What are Sudan's steps to join the World Trade Organization?

We have taken good steps to join the organization through negotiations, despite the challenges facing us, but we will work to overcome these challenges, and Sudan has been negotiating for 27 years to join the World Trade Organization, but this did not happen as a result of the lack of transparency on the part of the former Brotherhood regime and the lack of strong political will.

We expect that by the end of the transitional period, Sudan will join the World Trade Organization with openness to the world according to the plan set by the World Organization for the year 2023, in addition to the visit of the Director of the World Trade Organization next February to Khartoum.


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