SABMiller will close its brewery in South Sudan in March due to a lack of foreign exchange needed to buy raw materials, the company said on Friday.

SABMiller, which was bought by AB InBev last year, said in a statement that mothballing its South Sudan business would affect most of its 237 employees and indirectly hit thousands of individuals and businesses.

The company's South Sudan operation was likely to be used to distribute beverages imported from Uganda, it said.

READ: Symbol of freedom runs dry as S. Sudan brewery eyes closure