IFAD to help Mauritius boost seed sector

A Reimbursable Technical Assistance Agreement between the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the development of the seed sector in Mauritius was signed this week. Mauritius is the first country to sign this Reimbursable Technical Assistance Programme with IFAD and to benefit from this new type of assistance. IFAD will provide the following technical assistances: Expertise to carry out a review of the existing Seeds Act 2013 and develop draft priority regulations, in alignment with the Regional Regulations in the SADC, the COMESA and other relevant international frameworks for the set-up and operations of institutions created by the Seeds Act. The Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Mahen Seeruttun, underlined that currently, the seeds produced by the Ministry and planters are mainly of open pollinated traditional varieties which are well adapted to our agro-climatic conditions and have proven to be successful over the years. “Most of these traditional varieties are, however, old and some are more than 40 years old and now showing varying degrees of degeneration and are more susceptible to diseases,” he added. As a result, it is an urgent need to promote the introduction and development of new improved varieties of crops with features such as improved yield, high quality and resistance to plant pests and diseases, the Minister pointed out. “We want this agri-business industry to become a main sector of the economy in future,” he said. The technical assistance will also encompasse the development of seed testing capacity. The agreement for the technical assistance will last 30 months as from the date of the signature and the total cost is around Rs 44.2 million.