Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, was on a two-day official visit in Rodrigues Island. The aim was to meet the Chief Commissioner for Agriculture, Fisheries, Forest and Plant & Animal Quarantine, Mr Louis Ange Perrine, and several other stakeholders so as to discuss and take stock of various issues in relation to agro-industry on the island.
During a press conference following his two-day visit, Minister Gobin highlighted that his presence in Rodrigues resulted from the unprecedented international context due to the lockdown following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
He underlined that this conflict has an impact on prices of food products, as the Republic of Mauritius is highly dependent on imports. The Minister emphasised that both Mauritius and Rodrigues are currently facing problems concerning the supply of required products for the agro-industry sector, such as cattle food and fertilisers, due to the prevailing international situation.
As such, he observed, working sessions held with the relevant Rodriguan stakeholders aimed at finding common solutions for the agro-industry sector in Mauritius and Rodrigues. In the same vein he called for mutual exchange of knowledge to tackle common problems.
During his visit, Minister Gobin also met planters and breeders on their premises so as to take note of their grievances in a bid to find immediate as well as long term solutions to their problems. These working sessions, he stated, also showcased the knowledge and competencies that can be shared between Mauritius and Rodrigues.
In the same vein, he indicated that several researches carried out by the Food and Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (FAREI) will be shared with Rodriguans, through a FAREI liaison office which will be set up in Rodrigues. The Small Farmers Welfare Fund will also share its knowhow with Rodrigues in the future, he added.
As far as livestock breeders are concerned, Minister Gobin recalled that Rodrigues had to face the Foot and Mouth disease in March last year and beneficiated from support from international partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Indian Ocean Commission and the Agence française de développement.
He informed that necessary doses of vaccine will be sent to Rodrigues so that a third dose against the Foot and Mouth disease can be administered to cattle on the island.
He also stressed on the need to determine the origin of the Food and Mouth disease in Rodrigues and to work on a protocol so as to avoid, in the long term, any future cattle contamination.
Before concluding, Mr Gobin underscored that there is a real potential to develop agro-processing in Rodrigues, with the financial support from Central Government.
According to him, there is a need to correctly invest in the right infrastructure so as to enable the Rodriguan agro-industry to play a major role in the country’s economy.
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