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'For Food Sovereignty and Social Peace': Guinea Suspends Agricultural Exports, Ministry Reports

© AFP 2023 CELLOU BINANIPeople hold up the Guinea national flag during celebrations as the Guinean Special Forces arrive at the Palace of the People in Conakry on September 6, 2021, ahead of a meeting with the Ministers of the ex-President of Guinea Alpha Conde.
People hold up the Guinea national flag during celebrations as the Guinean Special Forces arrive at the Palace of the People in Conakry on September 6, 2021, ahead of a meeting with the Ministers of the ex-President of Guinea Alpha Conde.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 19.07.2023
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Guinea has been under the rule of the military that took over the country in a coup d'etat in 2021. In response, the country was suspended from the African Union and ECOWAS. However, military leaders have agreed to return to civilian rule in 2024.
The export of several agricultural products has been suspended for six months by Guinea's military leadership in order to conserve supplies, the Guinean Ministry of Trade has reported.

"We are entering a (lean) period. We need to replenish our reserves to ensure food sovereignty and social peace," a trade ministry official told media.

It has been also clarified by the ministry that the measure is not related to Monday's termination of the Black Sea Grain Deal, which facilitated meagre agricultural exports from Russia and Ukraine to African countries.
A harvester collects wheat in Semikarakorsky district of Rostov-on-Don region near Semikarakorsk, Southern Russia, Wednesday, July 6, 2022. (AP Photo) - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 17.07.2023
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The ban on the export of a number of products (including rice, onions, potatoes, fresh chili peppers, eggplants, fresh tomatoes, taro, cassava, maize, cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, and palm oil) is enforced under a penalty of fines or even prosecution, according to the ministry's statement.
In addition, Guinea's government declared its decision to suspend the country's membership in the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS), created to execute programs of water and ecosystems management, the press release signed by the spokesman for the Guinean presidency revealed.

"The highest Guinean authorities have noted with regret that the concerns and strategic interests of Guinea's participation in the OMVS have not always been taken into account by the said organization since its creation," the press release said.

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