The government of Uganda is in talks with the South Sudan Authority on the proposal to start conducting a joint quality assurance test of food stuff at the Elegu Border before it’s imported or exported.
This stemmed from the recent pronouncement by the South Sudan National Bureau of Standards to dispose off 120 tons of impounded food items imported from Uganda after they tested positive for aflatoxin.
Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize (corn), peanuts, cotton seed, and tree nuts.
Rebecca Kadaga, the 1st Deputy Prime Minister and also the Minister for East African Affairs, told journalists on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, during a press briefing at Kampala Kingdom Hall that, they are engaging South Sudan to have the issue resolved.
Kadaga said that Uganda has presented to the S. Sudan authority the proposal to have all the produce tested at Elegu Border by a joint quality assurance system before it is imported or exported by the traders.
On May 15, 2023, South Sudan officials at the Nimule border point seized 120 tons of maize grains, maize flour, and wheat that were deemed unsuitable for human consumption.
Upon subjecting 27 samples of the confiscated goods to laboratory testing, officials at the border discovered their unsuitability for consumption, prompting the impoundment.
