July 28, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan’s Trade Minister Madani Abbas Madani said that his decision to ban the export of peanuts aimed at reducing speculation on its prices in the local market.

Deputy head of the Sovereign Council and chairman of Higher Economic Committee Mohamed Hamdan Daglo also known as Hemetti slammed the government decision to ban the exportation of peanuts which led to damage $87-million shipment ready for export in Port Sudan.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Madani said the decision to ban the export of peanuts was taken in the national interest adding that speculations the peanuts market had driven up its price significantly.

He added the increase of peanut price has a direct effect at the prices of related commodities such as oils and animal fodder, which also means direct impact in the prices of meat, meat products and eggs, especially with weak corn production in the previous season.

"The ministry after reviewing the exported quantities, the needs of the oil factories and its effects on the internal market, decided to stop the export of beans for the rest of the season," stressed the statement.

Hamdok last April formed a higher economic committee and picked Hemetti who is the General Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to chair it.

Hemetti who was a camel trader on Monday recalled was not an economist but a trader.

He said that his committee failed to implement its decisions to and the inflation continued to increase because of a mafia group that was close to the former regime and now changed their colour to supporters of the revolution.

Madani said that the decisions of the Trade Ministry do not aim to abuse the private sector, which they deal with as an important partner in the economic process and in achieving sustainable development goals.

The decisions of the Ministry do not aim to abuse the private sector, which we deal with as an important partner in the economic process and in achieving sustainable development goals.

He stressed the existence of distortions in the trade process, which the ministry seeks to address, such as the effectiveness and transparency of government procedures and "non-return of export earnings".

Madani stressed that the trade ministry takes its decisions within the framework of the government policies and that his ministry "is not an isolated from the cabinet, but is subject to its control and accountability if necessary."

This is not the first incident of its kind between a minister and a higher committee. The former health minister Akram Eltom diverged with the higher health emergency committee chaired by Siddiq Tawer, a member of the Sovereign Council.

(ST)