Pesticides (Agriculture)

Pesticides

Pesticides Residue Report 

National Pesticide Residue Monitoring Programme - Technical Analysis & Key Findings (January - October 2025) (Google Access)

Pesticides Residue Results

Judicious use of pesticides

The Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries remains firmly committed to promoting the judicious, responsible, and sustainable use of pesticides to safeguard human health, protect the environment, and ensure the production of safe agricultural commodities. Through regulatory oversight, stakeholder engagement, awareness raising, and sound pesticide management practices, the Ministry continues to strengthen pesticide governance in Mauritius.

The Pesticides Regulatory Office (PRO), established under the Use of Pesticides Act 2018, plays a central role in implementing this commitment by regulating, controlling, and monitoring pesticide use in agriculture. Its key activities include:

• Pesticide Residue Monitoring: Collection of fruit and vegetable samples from markets, supermarkets, auction markets, farm gates, and ports of entry for pesticide residue analysis by the Food Technology Laboratory (FTL).

• Compliance Assessment: Evaluation of pesticide residue analysis reports submitted by the FTL to verify compliance with the provisions of the Act.

• Regulatory Enforcement: Issuance of improvement notices where non-compliance is detected, followed by additional sampling and monitoring to ensure corrective actions are implemented.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Continuous sensitisation, guidance, and follow-up with growers to promote good agricultural practices and the safe and responsible use of pesticides.

• Complaint Management: Investigation of complaints related to pesticide misuse and provision of appropriate technical advice and recommendations.
   

To further strengthen pesticide governance, the Ministry established a Pesticide Control Committee in 2023, bringing together representatives from relevant stakeholder institutions to address matters related to pesticide management and promote coordinated action.

Recognising the importance of environmentally sound disposal of pesticide waste, the Entomology Division has also installed 38 pesticide collection bins/cages in several vegetable-growing areas across the island. Farmers are encouraged to triple rinse empty pesticide containers before depositing them in these bins. The collected containers are subsequently transferred to a recycler, contributing to the safe management of pesticide waste and the protection of the environment.

UNDP Project on Management of Agrochemical Wastes

The Ministry is also implementing the UNDP-funded project "Implementing Sustainable Low and Non-Chemical Development in SIDS", under which it is responsible for promoting the sound management of agrochemical wastes, including the proper disposal of empty pesticide containers.

As part of the project, a gender-responsive awareness campaign on the judicious use of pesticides and the safe management of empty pesticide containers was launched by the Hon. Minister on 16 October 2025 on the occasion of the celebration of the World Food Day. The campaign targeted smallholder farmers and planters and included the development of awareness materials such as a poster on the triple rinsing of empty pesticide containers, a flyer, a banner, and five educational video spots on the judicious use of pesticides.

To further strengthen stakeholder engagement, a one-day workshop was organised on 24 November 2025 with key stakeholders. In addition, a legal consultant was recruited to develop regulations under the Use of Pesticides Act 2018, with the aim of strengthening the regulatory framework for pesticide management in Mauritius. A validation workshop was held on 06 May 2026. 

Practical pesticide-use reduction and integrated pest management

• Smart Agriculture publications and reports

• Smart Agriculture Phase 1 report on phytosanitary practices

• Smart Agriculture Phase 2 report on reduction of phytosanitary-product use in food crops
• Fruit-fly integrated pest-management technical sheet