Niger bans grain exports to Nigeria, other non-members of ASS

Niger bans grain exports to Nigeria, other non-members of ASS

Niger’s military authorities have banned rice, cereal and other food exports to all countries except fellow Alliance of Sahel States (ASS) members to protect local supply, the government has said.

ASS is a confederation formed between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso as a mutual defence pact following the 2023 Nigerien crisis, in which the West African political bloc ECOWAS threatened to intervene militarily to restore civilian rule after a coup in Niger earlier that year.

With the Sahel nation experiencing high inflation on certain foods, the products banned for export besides rice include legumes such as cowpea and cereals like millet, sorghum and corn.

The government said in a statement late Wednesday that Junta chief Abdourahamane Tiani took the measure “to protect the supply of the internal market” and “make the goods of mass consumption accessible.”

“These prohibitions do not apply to exports” to Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger’s allied neighbours which are also ruled by military leaders who took power in coups, the statement added.

Punishments for those infringing the ban range from the seizure of shipments to criminal penalties.

Niger is a key regional supplier of cereals, especially for some states in neighbouring Nigeria.

Although the sanctions imposed on Niger by the West African bloc ECOWAS in the wake of the July 2023 coup were lifted in February, they have nonetheless disrupted regular supplies to Nigerien markets where inflation remains high for products including rice.

The closure of the border between Niger and Benin has also contributed to the disruption.

The agriculture minister has vowed to buy part of farmers’ harvests to fill up the country’s emergency reserves.

The ministry said it hoped for “good agricultural harvests” despite major flooding across the West African nation.