Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Mauritius Co-operative Agricultural Federation Ltd (MCAF), in collaboration with the Mauritius Cane Industry Authority (MCIA), launched, this afternoon, in Plaine des Papayes, Phase II of the Mechanical Sugarcane Harvester Project for small sugarcane planters, which consisted in the operationalisation of a second harvester.
The objective of the Project is to provide mechanical harvest services to small sugarcane planters in a bid to alleviate labour scarcity and to improve productivity.
The Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah; the Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin; the Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mr Rajanah Dhaliah, and other personalities, were present at the event.
In a statement, the Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives stated that mechanisation would be ongoing in the agricultural sector, in particular for sugar cane fields, to overcome labour shortages.
He affirmed that the purchase of a second sugar cane harvester, to the tune of Rs 15 million, with a higher capacity, reflected the joint efforts of Government and the relevant authorities to support the mechanisation process as the cane industry had still its place in the country’s economy.
For his part, Mr Maneesh Gobin underlined that the second harvester had twice the performance of the first sugar cane harvester, which came into operation during the Covid-19 confinement, for the same price.
He pointed out that operators and engineers to handle the harvester together with training on how to use the equipment and after-sales service were provided by the supplier.
Regarding the operation of the harvester, the Agro-Industry Minister stated that it would be on the same terms and conditions as for the first harvester, following the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between MCIA and the MCAF.
He thus explained that the harvester would be brought to the fields of small sugar cane planters registered with the MCAF. For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the MCIA, Mr Satish Parmessur, indicated that 20% of the 44,000 hectares under sugar plantation in Mauritius were cultivated by more than 8,000 small planters.
He averred that it was expected that in the near future, more sugar cane harvesters would be acquired and be made available to small planters across the country.
Mr Parmessur added that this year, revenue for planters would increase as the ex-Mauritius Sugar Syndicate (MSS) price for the 2022 crop would be finalised at Rs 21,000 per ton sugar, compared to Rs 16,765 per ton sugar last year.
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