Niger’s military authorities have banned exports of rice, grains and other food products to all countries except junta-ruled Burkina Faso and Mali to protect local supplies, a declared the government.

While this Sahel country is experiencing high inflation on certain foods, products banned for export, in addition to rice, include legumes such as cowpea as well as cereals such as millet, sorghum and corn.

The head of the junta, Abdourahamane Tiani, took this measure “to protect the supply of the domestic market” and “make mass consumer goods accessible,” the government said in a statement Wednesday evening.

“These bans do not apply to exports” to Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger’s allied neighbors which are also led by military leaders who seized power in coups, the statement added.

Sanctions against those who violate the ban range from seizure of cargo to criminal penalties.

Niger is a key regional supplier of cereals, particularly to some states in neighboring Nigeria.

If the sanctions imposed on Niger by the West African bloc of ECOWAS following the coup d’état of July 2023 were lifted in February, they nevertheless disrupted the regular supply of Nigerien markets where inflation remains high for products like rice.

The closure of the border between Niger and Benin also contributed to these disruptions.

The Minister of Agriculture has pledged to buy part of farmers’ crops to replenish the country’s emergency reserves.

The ministry said it hoped for “good agricultural harvests” despite significant flooding in the West African country.

Torrential downpours in Niger since the start of the rainy season have caused floods which have displaced a million and a half people and left 339 dead, according to civil protection figures.

This week, authorities in Niamey announced they would reduce the price of cement by 35 percent to help flood-affected people rebuild their homes.

Scientists have long warned that climate change driven by fossil fuel emissions is making extreme weather events such as floods more frequent, more intense and longer lasting.