Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Vice-Prime Minister (VPM), Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun and the Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, effected a site visit, yesterday in Saint Julien d’Hotman, to take cognisance of the organic vanilla farming undertaken by the Plantation Vanille Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd.
The owner of Le jardin de la Vanille et L’Epice, Mr Selva Dassen Chinan, his personnel and other personalities, were also on site to explicate the different procedural stages in the production of organic vanilla, cocoa and edible flowers.
During the visit, VPM Dookun-Luchoomun commended the Plantation Vanille Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd for engaging in bio vanilla cultivation, which is labour- and time-intensive.
Speaking of ways to boost the productivity of vanilla plantation, she encouraged Mr Chinan to approach with the University of Mauritius for a plausible collaboration on devising a comprehensive technique to accelerate the fermentation process.
Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun moreover stressed on increasing the visibility of this organic farming business for more profitability and to benefit the local community. As for Minister Bholah, he recalled the active involvement of planters in vanilla plantation in the past.
He, however, deplored that with time, owing to the high maintenance required and the lengthy production cycle of four years, the number of vanilla producers in the country has significantly declined.
On this note, he expressed his appreciation for the utmost care and patience devoted in vanilla cultivation by the Plantation Vanille Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd.
Mr Chinan has continued the legacy of his father’s vanilla plantation business and has even employed twelve people on a full-time basis, Minister Bholah pointed out.
Outlining the diverse opportunities and incentives offered by his Ministry to assist in businesses, Mr Bholah urged cooperatives to undertake such or other extraordinary businesses.
On his part, Mr Chinan reiterated that each stage of production necessitates meticulous expertise. No chemicals or fertilisers are used, aligning with the environmentally friendly principles of organic farming, he affirmed.
He also mentioned that his team pollinates the orchids manually that eventually produce vanilla pods. The vanilla producer, nonetheless, asserted that vanilla production as a business alone is not profitable and that there is a need to diversify.
Besides vanilla production, his business comprises of the sale of handicrafts made by Mauritian artisans, as well as the cultivation of a myriad of spices, tropical plants and edible flowers that are sold in stores and are delivered to hotels around the island. The site visit ended with the tasting of freshly pressed citrous sugarcane juice.
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