The Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, Dr Arvin Boolell, exhorted sugarcane planters not to abandon this vital sector in the Mauritian economy which, he said, is facing numerous challenges such as fluctuating international prices, decline in land dedicated to sugarcane plantation and labour constraints.
Dr Boolell was addressing the sugarcane planters community, yesterday at the Mauritius Cane Industry Authority Complex in Réduit, during an interactive and brainstorming session under the theme 'Revitalising the sugarcane industry: Collaborative solutions for modern challenges'. The Junior Minister, Mr Gilles Fabrice David, was also present.
The Minister recalled how the sugarcane sector is a key part of the economy adding that it has been the dominant industry in Mauritius for most of its history. He however pointed out that the end in 2009 of the European Union (EU) Sugar Protocol eliminated the preferential access of the Mauritian sugar to the EU market which resulted in a 36% fall in the price of sugar. According to him, it is imperative to overcome the challenges, revisit the agricultural policy, and produce what we eat.
Furthermore, Dr Boolell appealed to the corporate sector to participate actively with the planters community to enhance sustainability and restructure the sector. Speaking about the need for a Land Suitability Index (LSI), he indicated that it is a value that determines how suitable a piece of land is for growing sugarcane. The LSI, he said, can be used to forecast the potential crop yield of a location. He also evoked the possibility of planting a variety of sugarcane in coastal regions.
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For his part, Junior Minister David, observed that the sugarcane industry is beset with new threats such as climate change, water scarcity and land issues. The challenge, he said, is how to sustain this industry and integrate it in the sustainable development of the country.
He further highlighted that Government aims at democratising the sharing of knowledge with the objective of bringing progress and prosperity for future generations.
Interactive session
Some 200 sugarcane planters participated in the brainstorming session. Topics discussed included: the challenges and constraints faced by planters (harvest, transport logistics and costs, machines for land preparation, inputs, labours, finance and irrigation); revenue from sugar by-products; sugar insurance; and implementation of support measures.
