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South Sudan — Africa's youngest nation, independent since 2011 — is an agricultural frontier of exceptional potential. The country possesses some of the continent's most extensive and fertile agricultural land, with the Western Plains sesame belt, the Equatoria Green Belt for tropical fruits and oil crops, and vast sorghum-producing areas across the Upper Nile region. Despite the well-documented challenges of post-conflict development, commercial agricultural export has shown remarkable resilience, with sesame seeds emerging as the country's most significant non-oil agricultural commodity for export.
None of South Sudan's primary agricultural commodities — sesame, sorghum, groundnuts, or tropical fruits — are subject to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), providing EU importers with a comparatively clean compliance environment. The Uganda corridor via Mombasa Port provides reliable access to international shipping, with established trucking networks covering the Juba–Kampala route. A growing community of South Sudanese agri-exporters, many with diaspora connections to East African and European markets, has developed documentary compliance capacity including phytosanitary certification, quality laboratory analysis, and trade finance access through regional banks.
Capital: Juba | Population: ~12 million | Export Routes: Mombasa (Uganda corridor), Port Sudan (Sudan corridor) | Currency: South Sudanese Pound (SSP) | Regulatory Bodies: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), National Bureau of Standards (NBS), National Revenue Authority (NRA) | Key Certifications: MAFS Phytosanitary Cert, NBS Quality Certificate, Ministry of Commerce Export Licence | Primary Markets: Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, China, Japan, EU (sesame/groundnut)
| Product | Key Region | Primary Markets | Key Compliance |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sesame Seeds | Western Plains (W. Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, Lakes) | China, Japan, EU (tahini), Sudan | MAFS Phytosanitary Cert, NBS Quality Cert, Aflatoxin Test |
| Sorghum (White & Red) | Upper Nile, Northern Jonglei States | Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Regional | MAFS Phytosanitary Cert, Moisture ≤13.5% |
| Groundnuts (Peanuts) | Western Plains, Equatoria Green Belt | Sudan, Uganda, Kenya | MAFS Phytosanitary Cert, Aflatoxin Test B1 ≤4ppb (EU) |
| Tropical Fruits (Mango, Pineapple) | Equatoria Green Belt (Central, Western, Eastern Eq.) | Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, EU (diaspora) | MAFS Phytosanitary Cert, EU MRL |
JAET is Juba's most established agricultural commodity trading company, with export lines covering sesame seeds, sorghum, and groundnuts sourced from farmer cooperatives and aggregators in the Western Plains region. The company has been exporting since 2014, building logistical relationships with Ugandan trucking companies operating the Juba–Kampala corridor and with Mombasa Port freight forwarders.
Sesame is cleaned and gravity-sorted at the company's Juba warehouse before export in 25 kg woven polypropylene bags. MAFS phytosanitary certificates and NBS quality certificates accompany all export lots. Pre-shipment aflatoxin testing is conducted at a Kampala-based ISO 17025-accredited laboratory. Annual export volumes are 8,000–12,000 tonnes across all three commodities.
SSGC is a producer-led cooperative representing 1,400 sesame farming households in Western Bahr el Ghazal State. The cooperative was formed with support from the FAO South Sudan Programme and the NGO Sasakawa Africa Association, which provided improved sesame seed varieties, post-harvest handling training, and market linkage assistance.
Sesame is cleaned at the cooperative's central aggregation point in Wau before transport to Juba for export documentation and onward shipment. SSGC sesame achieves purity ≥98% and oil content ≥50%, making it attractive to Japanese sesame oil processors. The cooperative sells directly to three Juba-based exporters and is exploring a direct trade relationship with a Korean sesame importer.
Nile Sesame Export Company focuses exclusively on premium sesame export, sourcing both white (natural) and brown (toasted-ready) sesame varieties from the Western Plains belt. The company invests in mechanical cleaning and colour-sorting equipment in Juba to achieve premium grade specifications: purity ≥99.5%, moisture ≤6%, and aflatoxin B1 ≤2 ppb. For buyers benchmarking South Sudan sesame prices against Ethiopian and Sudanese origins, our sesame seed export price guide covering Africa and global market rates provides current FOB pricing, quality differentials, and seasonal availability data across all major origins.
Annual export volumes are 6,000–9,000 tonnes, with primary buyers in China (sesame oil processors), Japan (tahini ingredient buyers), and Germany (EU health food distributors). The company provides NBS quality certificates and MAFS phytosanitary certificates with every shipment, plus lot-specific aflatoxin certificates from a Nairobi-accredited laboratory. FOB Mombasa and CIF Aqaba pricing is available for regular buyers.
GBFVE sources mangoes, pineapples, papayas, and fresh vegetables from smallholder farms in the Equatoria Green Belt — the fertile zone along South Sudan's southern border with Uganda and Congo DRC. This region's equatorial climate produces year-round tropical fruits with particularly high sweetness indices due to deep volcanic soils and reliable rainfall.
Mangoes (Tommy Atkins and local varieties) are exported by refrigerated truck to Kampala and Nairobi markets, with small air-freighted volumes to Juba International Airport for onward shipment to Khartoum and Gulf markets. Fresh pineapples are shipped weekly to Uganda. The company is working with GlobalG.A.P. technical advisors to achieve certification for its 85-member farmer network — a prerequisite for EU retail supply chain access.
UNST aggregates white sorghum from mechanised farms in the Upper Nile state, where deep clay soils in the Nile basin produce high-yield sorghum crops during the September–November harvest season. The company operates storage facilities in Malakal with capacity for 15,000 tonnes of bulk sorghum.
Sorghum is exported primarily to Sudan (Khartoum markets), Uganda, and Kenya by road transport in bulk trucks. A small volume of food-quality white sorghum (moisture ≤13.5%, foreign matter ≤1%, insect-free) is exported by sea through Mombasa Port to regional food aid programmes and commercial flour millers in East Africa. MAFS phytosanitary certificates accompany all export lots.
JGPE processes and exports groundnut kernels and crude groundnut oil from Western Plains and Equatoria groundnut growing areas. Groundnut kernels (Bold and local varieties, 25/29 count) are cleaned, aflatoxin-tested (B1 ≤4 ppb for EU compliance), and packed in 25 kg polypropylene bags for export to Ugandan and Kenyan processors.
Crude groundnut oil is pressed at the company's Juba extraction facility and exported in 200-litre steel drums and ISO tanks to regional food processors in East Africa. Annual groundnut kernel export volumes are 3,000–5,000 tonnes. The company sources from farmer cooperatives in Lakes and Warrap states that have received FAO post-harvest handling training.
SSOFN is a network of 680 smallholder farmers in Western Equatoria State growing sesame, groundnuts, sorghum, and tropical fruits under organic-compatible practices — a de facto organic system given the complete absence of synthetic input supply networks in the remote growing areas. The network was formed with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and is pursuing formal EU organic equivalence certification.
Sesame (white, purity ≥98%, oil content ≥50%) and groundnuts (Bold variety, aflatoxin ≤4 ppb) are the primary export commodities. An EU-accredited certification body has completed an initial farm assessment and identified 480 farms as compliant with EU organic standards. Formal certification is expected in Q4 2026. CIF Mombasa pricing is available for buyers who wish to pre-purchase against certification.
South Sudan's forests and savannas support an extraordinary diversity of flowering plants, producing wild-forest honey with complex flavour profiles from bees foraging across acacia, shea, and tropical forest species. Nile Valley Honey Export works with 220 traditional beekeeping households across Equatoria and Upper Nile states, using improved log hives and processing clean honey at their Juba filtering facility.
Honey is filtered, moisture-tested (≤20% for EU compliance), and exported in 30 kg food-grade drums to European natural honey importers and regional markets. Annual export volume is 40–70 tonnes. The company has applied for MAFS phytosanitary registration and is working with a German organic honey importer on product quality protocols ahead of a direct trade arrangement.
GBGSA is a coalition of six sesame-growing cooperatives in the Greater Bahr el Ghazal region, collectively representing 3,200 farming households. The alliance was established with IFC support to improve market access and reduce farmer dependence on local trader intermediaries who historically paid below-market prices.
Alliance sesame is aggregated at regional collection centres in Wau, cleaned by mechanical sorter, and transported by truck to Juba for export. Quality certificates confirm purity ≥97%, moisture ≤7%, and oil content ≥49%. The alliance has a direct supply agreement with a Nairobi-based sesame trader who consolidates their supply for export to Japan and Korea. Annual volume is 10,000–15,000 tonnes across all six cooperative members.
ETAE combines teak timber export with agricultural commodity trading, reflecting Western Equatoria's dual identity as both a timber and agricultural production zone. Agricultural exports include sesame, groundnuts, and mangoes from the Yambio and Nzara districts, areas with colonial-era agricultural infrastructure that has been progressively rehabilitated since 2005.
Agricultural commodities are exported via the Uganda corridor. The company provides MAFS phytosanitary certificates for all agricultural products and Ministry of Forestry permits for teak timber. A combined container shipment approach (agricultural produce + timber) reduces per-tonne shipping costs compared to single-commodity loads. Annual agricultural export volumes are 2,000–4,000 tonnes.
JCEEP is a Juba-based commodity exchange and export facilitation platform that connects rural South Sudanese agricultural producers with Kampala-based traders, Mombasa Port freight forwarders, and international buyers. The platform operates a daily price board for sesame, sorghum, and groundnuts based on aggregated buyer offers and seller quotations.
For international buyers, JCEEP provides a single entry point for South Sudan agricultural commodities — coordinating supplier identification, quality assessment, phytosanitary certification, export licence application, and Uganda corridor transport booking. The platform has processed export transactions for 14 international buyers since its founding in 2021, including Chinese sesame importers, Japanese sesame oil processors, and a Swiss food aid organisation.
South Sudan's regulatory framework is evolving. Follow these five steps to protect your business when onboarding South Sudanese agricultural suppliers.
South Sudan's primary agricultural exports are sesame seeds (most commercially significant), sorghum, groundnuts, and tropical fruits from the Equatoria Green Belt. Agriculture employs ~80% of the population. None of these commodities are EUDR-regulated, making South Sudan a clean compliance origin for EU importers.
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) issues phytosanitary certificates. Ministry of Commerce and Industry issues export licences. National Bureau of Standards (NBS) handles quality certification. National Revenue Authority (NRA) manages customs at Juba.
No. Sesame, sorghum, groundnuts, and tropical fruits are not on the EUDR regulated commodities list. South Sudan's primary agricultural exports are entirely outside EUDR scope — a significant commercial advantage for EU importers managing EUDR compliance burdens from other African origins.
The Uganda corridor (Juba to Kampala to Mombasa Port, ~1,400 km, 4–6 days) is the primary route, most reliable for international buyers. The Sudan corridor (Juba–Port Sudan via Khartoum) is used when the border is open. Factor 10–14 days from Juba to Mombasa Port departure.
South Sudan sesame from the Western Plains belt features high oil content (≥50%), grown in mineral-rich clay soils along seasonal watercourses. It is largely de facto organic due to absence of synthetic input supply networks. Japanese sesame oil processors and Korean food manufacturers are showing growing commercial interest.
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