By Kabahweza Kamugisha Allan
URA has requested the National Bureau of Standards of South Sudan and Uganda to deploy their equipment at the Elegu one stop border post (OSBP). This is to facilitate testing of products before they are imported into the country.
This call was made by URA Manager Enforcement, Godson Mwesigye during a presser at the Media Centre on the analysis of the consignments carried by trucks released from South Sudan.
Mwesigye noted that if testing equipment of both countries were deployed at Elegu, the issue of impounding trucks which were carrying goods to Juba would not have happened.
“We have a missing link at the Elegu OSBP in that, if Uganda National Bureau of Standards and South Sudan National Bureau of Standards could equip the laboratories at the post, these issues would not resurface,” Mwesigye explained.
The government of South Sudan had since April 2023 impounded 92 trucks carrying maize, maize flour, beans and finger millet grain among other produce on allegations of aflatoxins contamination.
Early this month, South Sudan started releasing impounded trucks and handing them over to Uganda Revenue Authority. Mwesigye noted that by 14th July 2023, URA had received 63 trucks and Uganda National Bureau of Standards took samples to test for toxins.
Addressing journalists, UNBS Executive Director, David Livingstone Ebiru said that results from samples of 27 commodities on 23 trucks show that five of the consignments were contaminated with aflatoxins beyond the acceptable levels of five parts per billion.
“There are four types of aflatoxins and the most dangerous one is B1. Of the 27 consignments, only five had the highest level of aflatoxins and 22 consignments were free from aflatoxins,” said Ebiru.
The Minister of State for Trade, Harriet Ntabazi thanked the government of South Sudan for releasing Ugandan trucks unconditionally calling on traders to adhere to the harmonized standards set by the East African Community on export of produce and goods.
“We thank South Sudan for the good spirit in handing over trucks and their consignments, and we have registered success after negotiations by two teams,” she said.
The release of the trucks follows negotiations and deliberations between the governments of Uganda and South Sudan.
