Mauritius and the United Nations Collaborate to Encourage Local Production of Bio-Fertilisers

14 September 2022
Government of Mauritius (Port Louis)
press release

The Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, accompanied by the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Christine N. Umutoni, and representatives of the Agro-Industry Ministry, the Food and Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (FAREI), and the Small Farmers Welfare Fund (SFWF), visited, yesterday, in Gros Cailloux, Sea Life Organics Co. Ltd, a local producer and distributor of seaweed-based fertilisers.

In a statement, the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security informed of the partnership between the United Nations and the Government of Mauritius. Hence, under the Strategic Partnership Framework (SPF) 2019-2023, the Government of the Republic of Mauritius and the United Nations have agreed to work together on selected outcomes related, among others, to climate change and agriculture for a sustainable Mauritius.

Some USD 200,000 from the Sustainable Development Goals Funds (SDG Funds), mobilised by the UN Resident Coordinator's Office and to be jointly implemented by three agencies namely the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the United Nations Development Programme and UN Women, have been allocated to support the agriculture sector and encourage food self-sufficiency in Mauritius, including the production and use of natural fertilisers.

According to Mr Gobin, the future of agriculture lay in green and natural farming. As such, he deemed Sea Life Organics Co. Ltd a pioneer in local bio-agriculture and in circular economy, engaging in the production of fertilisers from wastes such as seaweeds collected from the beaches or eggshells. Sea Life Organics Co. Ltd currently manufactures three types of seaweed-based organic fertilising products.

The Agro-Industry Minister affirmed, too, that it was important to boost Mauritian bio-agricultural enterprises. He added that the collaboration would be pursued and extended so as to encourage the creation of new products and stimulate other businesses to start up in this particular field.

For her part, the UN Resident Coordinator stressed that the UN endeavoured to fundraise and support projects that benefited the country by helping local communities through job creation, use of natural inputs and waste management. She stated that the production of compost from seaweed represented a good opportunity for collaboration among the UN, the Government and the private sector.

Also present at the event, the Principal Research Scientist at FAREI, Mr Alfaz Athawoo, explained that the evaluations carried out so far by the Institute regarding the quality of the seaweed-based fertilisers and its agro-economic value were in line with the Mauritius Standards Bureau normative criteria for fertilisers.

Read the original article on Government of Mauritius.

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