Africa-Press – Mauritius. The price of local Mars Setts commonly known as “Toupie” onions which is mostly cultivated in the eastern growing localities namely in Belle-Mare, Palmar and Trou D’eau Douce, has been liberalised as from today. The Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, made this announcement, this morning, during a symbolic launch of the Onion Harvest Season 2021 at Belle Mare among other eminent personalities.
The rationale behind this decision, highlighted Minister Gobin, is to alleviate the planters of the difficulties they are facing in cultivating and selling local “toupie” onions on the local market. He also emphasised the importance of consuming local products so as to encourage local production in order to attain self-sufficiency in food security. He further encouraged planters to avail of the various schemes being offered by Government ranging from rain water harvesting, backyard gardening, sheltered farming, mechanisation, among others, as incentives to boost local agricultural production while at the same encouraging planters to cultivate lands .
He recalled that the COVID-19 situation has made the whole nation across the world realise the importance of consuming what is being produced locally in ones’ own country, hence the need to promote local cultivation to feed the population. The Agro-Industry Minister also dwelt on the soaring prices of onions and other food crops during the lockdown in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, whereby he stated that Government was compelled to impose a fixed price on onions and potatoes to remedy the situation of surge in prices.
However, he underlined that following representation of local planters with regards the production and price of local onions “Toupie” variety which was no longer sustainable for them to cultivate, Government has come up with the decision to liberalise the price of local “Toupie” onions to bring relief and encourage planters to grow same and reap the benefits thereof.
It will be recalled that the onion harvest 2021 started in the month of February 2021 with some 90 estimated number of onion growers. For the year 2021, about 8.69 hectares of land in the eastern region were under red onions cultivation. As at date, 6.53 hectares of Mars Setts “Toupie” onions have been harvested as green and the yield estimated for “Toupie” onions stands at 12 tonnes per hectare.
