Non Sugar Sector

Overview of Food Imports and Production in Mauritius

Around 77% of the food requirements of Mauritius are imported; the main items include wheat, rice, oil, fresh fruits, meat, and milk. The amount of food imported continues to rise, indicating an increasing dependency on imported food. Annually, food-crop production amounts to 110,000 tonnes with some 8,200 hectares (ha) of land devoted to it (Strategic Plan for 2016-2020).

Agricultural Production Structure

Agricultural production in Mauritius is undertaken by a relatively large number of small producers alongside the corporate sector. Some 8,000 small farmers cultivate a range of food crops, while others grow fruits and flowers for export markets.

Livestock Production

Livestock production involves around 5,000 farmers engaged primarily in cattle, goat, sheep, pig, deer, poultry and rabbit farming. In 2014, local production met only 9% of the country's requirements for meat (excluding poultry) and 4% for milk, while achieving 100% self-sufficiency in poultry meat, eggs and venison (Strategic Plan for 2016-2020).

Strategic Plan for Agriculture 

A Strategic Plan for 2016-2020 covering Food Crop, Livestock and Forestry aims to raise the national food security level in a sustainable manner. The plan focuses on promoting the sustainable management of land, water, and other natural resources and on building capacity to enable farmers to face climate change. This approach has been upscaled to a 'climate-smart agriculture' project implemented between the specified years.

Trade and Market Access

The Agricultural Marketing Board was established in 1964 to implement food security strategies as well as to expand the local production of strategic crops like onions, potatoes and garlic.  It is a self-financed parastatal body operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security. The Agricultural Marketing Board is vested with broad powers over the production, storage, import, export and sale of commodities designated by law as ‘Controlled Products’.

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