We will never tire of saying that a proper Government plans for today and for the future at the same time. The current food crisis in our country was foreseeable, yet little was done by the current Minister of Agriculture and his colleagues.

There was a late wake up call on the matter in National Assembly in July 2007 where he was asked what he was doing and he said ”I am thinking”….or maybe it was “sinking”. That was several months ago and still nothing.

When Pravind Jugnauth was Minister of Agriculture, he had a vision of transforming the agriculture and fishery sectors for our food supplies.

The current figures about some products (MoA figures reproduced in the press) will talk volumes:

Production of other meats such as mutton, pork and goat have also declined dramatically.

Luckily we became self-sufficient in poultry between 2000-2003 (note the dates) and so were spared the disaster of Bird Flu!

As for fruits, anything up to 45% of the local production is exported or reserved for special markets in some cases.

Taking into account the current development of the new hotels, increase in tourists, the change in food habits actively promoted by authorities; it is clear that the need for locally produced quality food would logically increase with time.

The new hotel amenities opened since 2003 use more than 10,000 tons of vegetable and fruit produce yearly. Planters often give them the first choice and so less is left for the local market.

A population of 1.2 million who wants to welcome 2 million tourists will have to find means to feed them fine food and other produce of certified origin (i.e. we need to know all about the origin and/or growing of the product).

With the rise in diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other illnesses the population has a tendency towards natural foods too.

If Pravind had already seen the changes coming and was preparing for them already in 2003 and onwards, it is unlikely that Doctor Arvind Boolell was not aware of the situation and the directions to continue when he became Minister in 2005.

It is also unlikely that the One and Only Genius Sithanen was not aware as well.

SO,

• Why did they scrap the master plan for agricultural and fisheries development? Our development lost its sense of integration and direction. Of course hotels get preference over the local population, and the people turn to imported foods. This has increased our exposure to the crisis overseas.
• If production decreases, there will be price increases because of loss of economies of scale and also supply-demand factors. This is in part what the people are experiencing now.
• Middle-aged artisanal fishermen are being asked by Boolell to go back to school to learn industrial fishing. They do not agree!
• Nothing has been done to improve the use of costly cold storage and processing facilities in the port and industrial zones. Pravind masterminded the development of appropriate infrastructure by Government and the Private Sector together, so there would be no bottle-neck in production in the Sea Food Hub project.
• Since 2005, the next stage of Sea Food Hub development has stagnated. The number of Mauritian-owned fishing ships is still less than 5% of the total number of Mauritian-registered ships!
• Members of Cooperatives now have unlimited liability! They are scared to contract loans for development and new projects.
• Boolell has stopped collection and processing of local milk produce. Cow breeders have disappeared within the last two years for want of Government support.
• Even the Salazie milk and ice cream project is stillborn.
• Estates no longer have incentives to increase meat and cattle production, except for high value venison for hotels.
• Our Pork local industry collapsed because the artisanal stage Boolell abandoned it in left it prone to the spread of illness. What had to happen did happen!
• Why did Sithanen remove the facilities for planters like Duty free vehicle, Income Tax concession for planters, facilities for cheaper herbicides and fertilizers, deduction of Interest on loans from Income Tax, deduction for Pension and Medical Schemes?
• He increased their overheads and tax liability with a stroke of his pen!
• Are they aware that many part-time planters have elected to stop production to avoid falling in a high tax bracket or group (National Residential Property Tax).
• Also, the Sugar Estates, who were also using the above benefits, not so much for profit, but for tax deductions, dramatically reduced their interline crop production since 2005. We no longer see so much of maize, peanuts, potatoes, beans and other produce in interlines after 2005!

Taxes, Lack of incentives and shortsightedness have contributed to the current food crisis!

Of course, we should not forget Camarade Jeetah, who shines by his incompetence. He interfered with the trade sector and this led to a rupture of milk supplies in 2005, played with the STC and caused shortage of grains, pulses and now rice. Jeetah creates Trade Juntas!

He almost had a remake of Desbro and was well on the way to close the thirty year local flour mill LMLC in late 2007. His reason for not renewing the contract was price…..and we still have not seen the Chinese flour he stated he had already bought. If Pravind had not raised the matter of flour quality and composition, by now, we might have had riots for bread in the country! See the vision of a Leader even when he is not in the National Assembly!

All the above make us also realise the (in)competence of the Team Manager!

The newspaper Mauricien rightly put a caricature on Thursday 17th showing a guy wondering if he was the ‘moffine’, or was it his Ministers.

I let you decide.