Brief on the organisation
The MSIRI was established in 1953 to take over from the Department of Agriculture all research and development works pertaining to sugar production, and to be funded by the producers themselves. Since 2011, the MSIRI operates under the Mauritius Cane Industry Authority (MCIA), which was set up as a body corporate under the MCIA Act No. 40 of December 2011, under the aegis of the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security is the parent Ministry. The mandate of the MSIRI includes implementation of Research & Development works to enhance the cost effectiveness and competitiveness of the cane industry. A Research and Development Committee advises the MSIRI on its research and development activities through approval of a R&D Plan every five years.
The Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Plan 2022-2026 of the MSIRI is centred towards seven major research focus areas namely, variety improvement, biotechnology, crop protection, sustainable production systems, innovation technologies, new products from sugarcane and its co-products and partnership with the industry locally and abroad. The RDI Plan has been conceived with the view to growing towards a greener and sustainable Mauritian Sugarcane Industry.
