The Niger military authorities have implemented a ban on the export of rice, cereal, and other food products to all countries except fellow members of the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS) to safeguard local supply, as announced by the government.
The ASS is a confederation established among Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso as a mutual defense pact following the 2023 Nigerien crisis. This crisis arose when the West African political bloc ECOWAS threatened military intervention to restore civilian rule after a coup in Niger earlier that year.
Due to substantial inflation on specific food items, the banned exported products, apart from rice, include legumes such as cowpea, and cereals like millet, sorghum, and corn.
In a statement released late Wednesday, the government indicated that Junta chief Abdourahamane Tiani enacted this measure "to protect the supply of the internal market" and "make the goods of mass consumption accessible."
The statement added that "These prohibitions do not apply to exports" to Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger’s allied neighbors, which are also governed by military leaders who ascended to power through coups.
Penalties for infringing the ban encompass the seizure of shipments and potential criminal repercussions. Niger is a significant regional supplier of cereals, particularly to certain states in neighboring Nigeria.
Despite the lifting of sanctions imposed on Niger by the West African bloc ECOWAS following the July 2023 coup, regular supplies to Nigerien markets have been disrupted, contributing to sustained inflation, particularly for products such as rice. The border closure between Niger and Benin has further exacerbated these disruptions.
The Ministry of Agriculture has pledged to purchase a portion of farmers’ harvests to augment the country’s emergency reserves. The ministry expressed optimism for "good agricultural harvests" despite significant flooding across the West African nation.