Residents of Renk town in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State have complained about a rapid rise in the prices of essential commodities in the market.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj last week, several residents said the prices of essential goods have risen significantly in Renk town in the past two weeks.

Hanan Gabriel, a civil servant, said the prices of foodstuffs are increasing rapidly in the market, pointing out that she cannot meet daily needs of her family owing to the low salary paid by the government.

Hussein Deng, another resident, said the sharp rise in the prices of consumer goods in the market was caused by multiple tax collection points in the state.

Meanwhile, Agor Nyok, the head of Chamber of Commerce in Renk attributed the rising prices to the depreciation of the local currency, besides the multiple tax collection points in the state.

He said the opening of borders between Sudan and South Sudan may help reduce the prices of consumer goods in Renk.

For his part, Deng Chol, the Director-General in the Finance Ministry of the defunct Northern Upper Nile State, refuted claims that the ministry authorized price hikes with its multiple tax collection points.

"There are other reasons that led to the rise in prices such as poor conditions of roads and depreciation of the local currency against foreign currencies,” he explained.

The central bank of South Sudan has recently announced that it had run out of foreign exchange reserves and can no longer stop the pound’s depreciation.

The government gets almost all of its revenue from crude oil, but current output, at about 180,000 barrels per day (bpd), has plummeted from a peak of 250,000 bpd before the outbreak of conflict in 2013, according to official figures.