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Sudan Tribune

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Sudan’s decision to ban Egyptian agricultural products “still in force”: minister

A vendor sells vegetables and fruits in Cairo (Reuters file photo)
A vendor sells vegetables and fruits in Cairo (Reuters file photo)

June 21, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government on Wednesday denied media reports that the decision to ban the Egyptian agricultural products has been reversed.

The semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) has quoted the state minister of commerce Al-Sadiq Mohamed Ali as saying “the measures that have been taken to ban some Egyptian products are still in force”.

He stressing there was nothing new on this matter, saying the reasons which led to banning the Egyptian products still exist.

Last September, Sudanese government temporarily suspended all imports of vegetables, fruit and fish from Egypt following U.S. reports about cases of strawberries from Egypt causing chronic hepatitis and other diseases.

Also, seven countries including Kuwait, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Japan have taken strict measures banning imports of Egyptian agricultural products.

Last month, Sudan’s Prime Minister Bakri Hassan Saleh issued a decision to continue the ban on Egyptian farming products and to stop the importation of any seeds or seedlings from the neighbouring country.

The Sudanese authorities in March expanded the list of banned Egyptian farming products by adding agricultural goods and products, canned fish and manufactured goods, following reports that these products were rotten.

Tensions between Khartoum and Cairo have escalated following the former’s decision to restrict imports of Egyptian farming products which was reciprocated by Cairo’s decision to raise residency fees for Sudanese living in Egypt.

The deterioration of bilateral relations between the two countries goes back to the attempt to assassinate President Hosni Mubarak in June 1995 followed by the deployment of Egyptian troops in the disputed area of Halayeb triangle.

(ST)

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