US will help Mauritius develop its agricultural trade

12 years, 7 months ago - September 15, 2011

The distance and requirements of the US market should not be hindrances for Mauritius to develop its agricultural trade

Wednesday, the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, in collaboration with the US Embassy, organised a capacity building workshop on Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) for export of fruits such as pineapple and lychees, vegetables, plant materials and meat to the US market.

Organised at Clos St Louis, Domaine Les Pailles, the workshop was hosted by APHIS experts Thomas Schissel, Dr Mervyn Mansell and Dr Solomon Gebehye.

They enlightened officers of the government as well as those from the private sector, on procedures to follow for exports to the US market.

Present at the launch ceremony was Troy Sitrell, Chargé d‘Affaires of the US embassy. Sitrell said this workshop is in response to a request made by the Mauritian government and private sector representatives during talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) between Mauritius and the United States in March.

“We hope this workshop will help Mauritius develop its agricultural trade with the United States,” he added.

Stating some facts and figures, Sitrell explained, “In 2010, the United States imported pineapples worth $500 million mainly from Costa Rica and Mexico while China exported lychees worth $4.2 million to the United States.”

C Bhugun, acting permanent secretary, Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security said, “This workshop fits perfectly with the ministry’s agenda.” He explained that distance and requirements of the US market should not be hindrances for Mauritius to develop its agricultural trade.

Text by the Independent

We also recommend

Fruits Locaux : Baisse des Prix en Vue

Huit cents tonnes. C’est la production de letchis attendue cette année, selon Vikram Hurdoyal, directeur d’Ocean Tropical Fruits Export Ltd (OTF). Cela représente une baisse de 700 tonnes par rapport à la production de l’année dernière, qui se chiffrait à 1 500 tonnes.

9 years, 5 months ago

Vingt Nouveaux Projets Pour Booster la Production Alimentaire

Vingt nouveaux plans d’aide au profit des fermiers, planteurs, éleveurs et entrepreneurs ont été officiellement lancés à l’auditorium Octave Wiehe, récemment.

9 years, 10 months ago

Planting Mangroves Bears Fruit

In 2009, the Association for Sustainable Development (ADD), then newly created water puts 10,000 mangroves in Morne. This was done not only for erosion but also to protect the coasts of the wind and create a habitat for fry (Editor's note: very young fish ), crabs, worms and birds.

10 years, 10 months ago

Feasibility Study: Wheat Crop on Large Scale Soon

After conclusive experimental data wheat crop in Mauritius done in 2012, the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) plans to begin immediately the second phase of this project. After powder-d'Or (Orchard Baudot) on land of sugar Compagnie de Saint-Antoine, culture extend to Savannah and White Mountain.

10 years, 11 months ago

Agriculture: Mauritius Feared an Attack of Fruit Flies

The Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security declared quarantine zones village of Trou aux Biches and Labourdonnais following the discovery of a fruit fly, belonging to the species 'Bactrocera dorsalis' in a fly trap in the north.

11 years ago

L’Attaque des Cochenilles

De nouveaux parasites ont fait leur apparition dans l’île : trois types de cochenilles originaires d’Amérique centrale et d’Afrique qui font des ravages depuis le début de l’année.