The water crisis and restrictions on supply are causing a shortage of vegetables in the local markets. Lettuces, cabbages, coriander, mint, parsley and thyme are scarce, while cauliflowers have been badly affected.
Planters using the domestic water network for irrigation of crops are the most affected. They say several crops will be harvested later than usual.
“We are facing a very bad situation,” says Jeelany Soobraty, a planter from Phoenix. “We will be getting only 15%- 20% of the usual harvest of cauliflowers this year. Normally we used to water them three times a week. Now we do it only once because the tanks are dry and we have to wait for the resumption of water supply to fill them again.”
Vegetables such as broccoli and carrots have also been hit. Planters from several regions have already warned that the quality of these vegetables will suffer.
“Out of every 300 lettuces I planted, I am not sure to reap even 50 good ones,” says a planter who has been cultivating his fields for the past 40 years. “And I will have to run after the 'merchant' to buy them from me.”
The Mauritius Agricultural Marketing and Cooperative Federation say that planters who rely on the domestic network of the Central Water Authority to irrigate their fields are few in number.
“They are mostly those who plant salads and spices,” says Krit Beeharry, president of the federation. “Their crops will be affected by the prevailing dry spell and water shortage.
However, these are usually planted in regions where there is sufficient rainfall during winter. So we are sure to find them on our stalls, even if they are of inferior quality and not so abundant.”
Kreepalloo Sunghoon, secretary of the Small Planters Welfare Association, does not share the views of Mr Beeharry.
He says the situation has deteriorated because of drastic cuts in water supply. “These cuts in domestic water supply are bound to affect small vegetable planters,” he says.