Mauritius to set up a National Plant Varieties and Seeds Office

Mauritian Agro-industry Minister, Satish Faugoo, told PANA that the National Plant Varieties and Seeds Office would advice the government on national policies relating to the seeds of any variety of any kind of plant and make recommendations for the improvement of the seed regulatory system and on the release of any variety in Mauritius.

It also provides for the registration of varieties and seeds for testing, inspection and certification.

"We have embarked for the improvement of service delivery to the farming community as we aim at strengthening and modernising the agricultural and agribusiness sectors to make them more responsive to the emerging challenges in the sector," the minister observed.

He said the government wanted to diversify and strengthen the island’s agri-food production sector, to make it modern, competitive and sustainable, with the overall aim of further securing food supply, stability and safety.

"Seed is one of the most critical and also costly inputs in agricultural production. For some crops like potato, seed cost may account for almost 50 per cent of the total cost of production. Indeed it is widely recognised that improved crop varieties and high quality seeds have played a significant role to usher the green revolution in many parts of the world," Faugoo emphasised.

"Good seeds have a significant potential in increasing on-farm productivity and farmers’ revenue and enhancing food security. Indeed many authorities have emphasised that seed security is a precursor to food security," the minister said.

Mauritian farmers produce around 130,000 tonnes of vegetables annually from imported seeds.