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 following the 2007–2008 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] The agriculture industry mainly consists of growing fruit like banana, lychee, pineapple, and mango. [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. [11] The Smart Agriculture Project has been supported by the European Union since 2018. [12]
