THE RIGHT TO FOOD


THE RIGHT TO FOOD


The agriculture industry in Mauritius has responded to the needs of the country to ensure that the right to food is met.


Hon. Mahen K. Seeruttun MP is the Minister of Agro- Industry and Food Security in Mauritius. He was elected as an MP in 2010 and was a member of the Public Accounts Committee between July 2010 and October 2014. He was re-elected as an MP in December 2014 and was appointed Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security. Mahen K. Seeruttun is a professional Accountant with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.


The Mauritian agricultural industry is dominated largely by sugar cane cultivation. Out of 62,100 ha of cultivable land excluding forestry, some 8,000 ha are devoted to the cultivation of various food crops and fruits. The contribution of agriculture to the National GDP of Mauritius was 3.3% in 2014. Agricultural production activities are undertaken mainly by the corporate sector and a large number of small farmers. Our net food requirement is estimated at 700,000 tons annually, 78% of which is made up of agricultural and food products imports. The food import bill represents around 22% of total import (estimated at around USD 500m).


The production of food crops amounts to some 120,000 tons annually and is meant mainly to meet local requirements. Seasonal imports of some strategic crops such as potatoes, onions and garlic are allowed to supplement local production during the off-season. The agricultural sector is characterized by the low levels of technology adopted resulting in high dependence on manual labour for field operations on small scale holdings. Livestock production is


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undertaken by some 5,000 farmers involved mainly in cattle, goat, sheep, pig, deer and poultry farming. Production of fresh milk is around 5 million litres, representing around 4% of our requirements.


A reasonable level of self- sufficiency has been achieved in some of the crop-derived food items and on almost 100% of fresh vegetables and fruits with around 120,000 tons produced annually.


The Right to Food


The right to food is a basic human right which protects the right of all human beings to be free from hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.


Food and its production are the most basic of human concerns and are at the foundation of civilization. Despite, the progress achieved by humanity, we continue to struggle to meet this basic need of mankind.


Food security means far more than having sufficient food to meet human needs on a national basis. Other important factors include access to safe drinking water, primary health care and environmental hygiene.


Obstacles to the Right to Food Access to food in Mauritius is however subject to a number of constraints. These inter alia include:


(a) The increasing prices of imported food and fuel. (b) The increasing prices of agricultural inputs.


(c) The limited land area available for food production and the increasing competition of the land for other more economic uses.


(d) The climatic changes and frequent adverse climatic conditions causing high incidence of pests and diseases on agricultural production yield. (e) The shortage of field labour in agricultural production due to an ageing population and competition from other economic sectors.


(f) The high reliance on imported food.


(g) The increasing use of fertile agricultural land for the production of bio-fuels which are more profitable.


Measures to address the obstacles to the Right to Food A number of incentives and measures have been taken by the Government to ensure that the population has the


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