Brief on the organisation
The Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture (MCA) is a private association regrouping mainly large growers involved in sugar production, its co-products and other diversification activities. The MCA aims to promote agricultural activities by being the link between producers and local authorities, fostering dialogue for the construction of policy and action items in line with national objectives, such as working towards the national target of 60% of Renewable Energy and the promotion of local food production for our food sovereignty. Other collaborations with Government bodies include the promotion of local biomass production under the National Biomass Framework and the implementation of the Circular Economy roadmap.
Our collaboration extends regionally with the signing of a partnership agreement with the CIRAD, in Reunion Island, to give a gist to our agroecological endeavors, through their research expertise, training capabilities and outreach to other SIDS. The CIRAD, along with the FAREI, have been partners in our Smart Agriculture project whereby farmers have been supported to shift from conventional agriculture to sustainable agriculture using agroecological levers, reaching a major milestone: a marked reduction of pesticide use in seven crops by 57% between 2020 and 2022.
By working with the MRIC locally or with international agencies like the UNDP, EU, Australian High Commission, we seek to lead impactful and meaningful projects to revamp the agricultural sector in Mauritius by bringing in innovation, sustainable change in farmers’ cultural practices thereby promoting consumers’ trust in local produce. One of our other key projects is the setting up of a technical agricultural school along with the Regional Training Center.
