Despite the initiatives taken by the government, including establishing a Food Security Fund, agriculture does not take off.
With a budget of only Rs 2.3 billion, the Ministry of Agro-Industry brings together a range of services: AREU, the Farmers Service Corporation, SPMPC, veterinary service, the Agricultural Marketing Board, the Irrigation Authority, MSIRI, among others.
Despite all the free services offered by the ministry to farmers and ranchers, the cost of production continues to increase. Productivity suffers as well. However, considering the budget for all departments of agriculture, while the actual cost of agricultural production in Mauritius will be much more consistent.
The contribution of agriculture to GDP is around 4%. It was about 7% in 2001. The number of jobs remains 46200. In 2010, the total area of ??sugar cane was
58755 hectares, against 60380 in 2009. The tea plantation covered an area of ??698 hectares in 2010 compared to 713 hectares in 2009. Food crops, meanwhile, held about 6895 hectares in 2010, against 7083 hectares in 2009.
These figures confirm indeed a decline in the agricultural sector. According to the AREU (Agricultural Research and Extension Unit), local food production was 104749 tons in 2010 against 113943 tonnes in 2009. The dairy sector has seen significant investment over the past three years and is the stimulus level of milk production. There was also an improvement in livestock, with a 5% increase in beef production, to 2194 tonnes in 2010. This figure includes imported cattle.