CAIRO- Sudan has lowered its customs exchange rate to 15 Sudanese pounds to the dollar, from a previous rate of 18, a document seen by Reuters on Tuesday showed.

The cabinet also decided to discount 75 percent of storage fees for cargoes and containers stuck in Sudanese ports over the period of Feb. 1-25, according to the document which is dated Feb. 26.

Sudanese businessmen had repeatedly called on the government to lower the rate to help them purchase dollars as the country faces its crippling shortage of foreign currency.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Nadine Awadalla, Editing by William Maclean) ((mailto:Nadine.Awadalla@thomsonreuters.com;))