Ease of 25% granted to fruit growers

This Grant Scheme for the purchase of nets will allow farmers to preserve the fruit bats against devastating. 

This assistance follows the success of the national campaign launched in 2009 and the success experienced last year. This measure had increased the availability of local fruits, especially the leeches on the market. The fruit growers will be allowed on the recommendation of the Agricultural Research & Extension Unit (AREU), to purchase a minimum of three and a maximum of 10 nets 25% of the total. Nets 5 meters, 10 meters and 12 meters and the roll over a length of 100 meters will be sold. The AREU recommends the use of nets 12 meters costing Rs 11,200 roll. Tested in 2008, these nets are a modern way to preserve summer fruits. However, growers will be asked to prune fruit trees at the same height. 

This year the export of litchis must be on time because Mauritius has a special price of Rs 200 000 per tonne as opposed to Madagascar, which is positioned also as one of the major exporting countries. The rest of the harvest of leeches is for the local market. This will allow producers to make a profit of Rs 18 million.

The losses that farmers suffer because of the ravages of 25 000 bats across the country are between 30 and 70%. These losses are estimated at several million annually.

Farmers demand slaughter of bats. Now this is a protected species under the Wildlife and National Parks Act of 1993. During the past decade, the population of bats has increased significantly in Mauritius and has become a source of trouble for fruit growers.