Fish from S. Sudan changes fortunes for Arua traders

Every day, about 20 heavy trucks loaded with hundreds of bundles of fish make a 295km journey from Juba City in South Sudan to Arua City in Uganda.

There is a ready market for it by both the residents of Arua City and Congolese traders, who buy it in bulk for resale back in their own country.

By 7.30am at the Arua Central Market, more than 50 muscular men are busy off-loading bundles of fish from the trucks. The dealers keep counting the number of bundles brought, while others receive phone calls and record orders.

The main type of fish from South Sudan is the Nile Catfish.

This has also opened job opportunities for the youth who earn a living from off-loading the fish.

One such youth is a burly Joseph Andama, who is carrying a heavy load of bundles of fish from a truck that arrived from South Sudan.

He has had increased income since the coming in of the South Sudan fish as he is fully engaged all day in off-loading fish from the trucks.

“I used to get Shs60,000 per day when offloading other goods. But when the South Sudan traders started bringing their fish, I can earn up to Shs300,000 a day. This is good for me as I am able to pay fees, medication and now plan to build a small decent permanent house for my family,” he says.

He adds that sometimes the loaders are overwhelmed by the number of trucks that bring fish from South Sudan, especially during the festive seasons.

Why Arua market

At Arua Central Market, boda bodas, tricycles and pick-up trucks line up waiting to be loaded with bundles of fish heading to Aru, Duruba and Ariwara towns in DR Congo.

As early as 7am at Arua Main Market, several traders from DR Congo (mainly women), who used to buy fish from Panyimur in Pakwach District, crowd Arua Main Market making orders for fish from South Sudan.

Duruba Town in DR Congo, where gold mining is one of the biggest economic activities, now has a daily market as opposed to the past where the market days used to be only on Sundays.

From 2012, Ugandan traders from Arua would travel on Friday and wait for market day on Sunday, then travel back on Monday.

Henceforth, the daily market has opened up business opportunities from the fish and other goods like livestock, cabbages, onions and tomatoes that are exported from Arua to Duruba or Aru town. The fish, which is transported from Arua, ends up in Kisangani City, the fifth most populous urban area in DR Congo.

Fish dealers say the South Sudan fish has slayed the business from Panyimur. The Congolese traders book the South Sudan fish on mobile phones or through their business agents in Arua City.

An unspecified number of both urban refugees and South Sudan nationals live in Arua City.

Many of them prefer fish from their home country, hence creating an abundant market.

Ms Robinah Ajio, a fish dealer at Arua Main Market, says: “South Sudan has boosted trade but also killed market for Ugandan fish. People here do not like the fish from Uganda because of its strong smell. The Congolese like the fish from South Sudan so much.”

She says she dreams of building a permanent house using proceeds from the fish business. 

As the fish business booms due to the increasing population of Arua City and demand in DR Congo, fish from Kenya is also making headway in Arua City.

Taxation

The South Sudan traders have decried what they call high taxes where the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) used to charge them import tax of 0.3 percent in 2021/2022, which has since been increased to 0.6 percent for the 2022/2023 Financial Year.

This has also caused a hike in the prices of fish. For instance, Ms Salma Avako, a fish trader, says: “We used to buy a bundle of fish at Shs3 million but it has since been hiked to Shs6 million. It has become difficult to afford to buy yet there is high demand. To continue with business, I have to take loans because I use this business to pay school fees for my children and other relatives, medication, feeding and accommodation.”

She urged government to provide tax subsidies to ensure trade between the two countries thrives.

The chairperson of South Sudan Fish Suppliers Association (SSFSA), Mr Tony Mathew, says: “The money that URA collects per truck is high (Shs14m Shs20m). This has forced some of the traders from Juba to take their merchandise straight to Ariwara, Kisangani in DR Congo. And some are now using the Kanungu route to cross to DRC.”

He says they petitioned the government, asking for review of the import tax on fish, which he says is in high demand in Arua and DR Congo.

The fish business has improved local revenue collection for Arua City. For instance, the council charges Shs30,000 per bundle of fish.

URA’s response

The URA commissioner of Tax Investigations, Mr Kenneth Kugonza, says although the DR Congo and South Sudan are members of the East African Community, they have not ratified certain protocols.

 “There are certain protocols they have not ratified, the leadership of the country and URA are all aware in making sure they are fast-tracked and are ratified so that they can be able to enjoy the benefits of being in the East African Community. And that is where there will be exemptions on import duty,” he says.

Fishing in South Sudan

The Nile Catfish, Nile Perch and African Catfish come from the White Nile in Terekeka Town; a town in Central Equatoria state. Other fish products come from River Nile and Sudd wetlands in Jonglei state, which is a source of livelihood for fishing communities there. The fish from the White Nile is also highly traded in Kosti Town and exported to Khartoum in Sudan.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation, 2014 report, about 17 percent of the population in South Sudan directly depends on fishing. It says although there is no reliable data, it is estimated that there are some 208,000 subsistence fishermen and about 12,000 commercial fishermen in South Sudan.

In 2014, the fishing industry in South Sudan was valued at $510m (about Shs1.9 trillion). And therefore, with the current market in West Nile, there are chances of increment in fish export earnings for South Sudan.

Total fisheries production in South Sudan was reported at 32,545 metric tonnes in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators.