Agriculture in Mauritius

Agriculture is a major industry in Mauritius. Historically, sugarcane cultivation has been the main agricultural activity in Mauritius.^[1] In 2001 it accounted for close to 70% of the nation's cultivated land which was approximately 36% of the country's total land area.^[2] The Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture was founded in 1853.^[3] The Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Mauritius was founded in 1914.^[4] Mauritius is a net food importer, with an overall self-sufficiency ratio of 25%.^[5] This caused major economic stress after the 2008 financial crisis.^[6] Mauritius became the 15th member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to sign its national Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Compact.^[7] In 2023, the principal agricultural products by tonnage were sugarcane, chicken, pumpkins (squash), tomatoes and eggs.^[8] Agriculture is the responsibility of the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security in the Government of Mauritius.^[9] The current minister is Maneesh Gobin.^[10] Mauritius has relied on agro-chemicals in their agriculture for many years.^{[citation needed]} The Smart Agriculture Project has been supported by the European Union since 2018.^[11]