Niger bans exports of key cereals, pulses to stabilize domestic market

NIGER – Niger government has announced an export ban, until further notice, on key food products, including paddy rice, milled rice, millet, sorghum, corn, and cowpea, in an effort to safeguard food security.

The General Secretariat of the Government made this decision public in a press release on October 16, highlighting that neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, which together with Niger form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), are exempt from the ban.

The Nigerien government issued a stern warning to violators, stating that any cargo seized in breach of this ban will be confiscated by the Niger Food Products Office (OPVN) with no restitution, and offenders could face both administrative and criminal penalties.

“Any person violating this measure will have their cargo seized and made available to the Niger Food Products Office (OPVN), without the possibility of restitution and without prejudice to administrative and/or criminal sanctions ,” noted the statement.

The ban is crucial to ensuring sufficient access to basic staples for Niger’s population, especially in light of recent disruptions to agricultural production.

The country imports nearly 80% of its rice to meet an annual demand of over 500,000 tonnes of milled rice, with domestic production standing at just 83,000 tonnes.

In response to its growing dependence on imports, Niger launched a National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS) in 2022, with a 10-year target and a $653 million budget. This initiative aims to improve self-sufficiency in rice production through investments in irrigation, seed distribution, and farmer training.

The recent export ban also comes in a wider regional context where food security has been under increasing pressure due to environmental challenges and geopolitical instability.

Like some countries in the Sahel and West Africa, Niger has been facing heavy rainfall since July, which has caused flooding.

According to data compiled by the FAO, this climatic phenomenon affected approximately 189,000 hectares of cultivated agricultural land in the country as of September 30. This loss devastates the nation, where the most affected crops, millet and sorghum, are staple diets.  

Between 2019 and 2023, Niger’s annual harvest for millet and sorghum averaged 3.1 million and 1.9 million tonnes, respectively, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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