Importance of record keeping in milk production – The use of a Management Information System at the farm of SKC Dairy Fresh Co Ltd

The dairy industry remains one of the most important and growing industry in the world. According to the FAO Food Outlook of June 2011, milk production is expected to expand by 2% to 724 million tones, with largest increases in Asia and China. Milk consumption is essential for good health and growth and milk products are present in the diets of children as well as adults every day; be it in the form of milk itself that we take with our cereals in the morning, or in our tea and coffee or in the form of butter, cheese, yoghurt, desserts etc.

Milk production in Mauritius

Presently, we are producing 12% of our local milk production which is 12 million Litres per year. Through the Food Security Fund, the Government of Mauritius has been encouraging farmers to engage in milk production by providing loans of Rs 50,000 per head (with 5 % interest). Through this initiative, local milk production has increased slightly over the past years (local milk production was 2% in 2003), but still there are several challenges being faced by breeders and entrepreneurs in the dairy industry; the main challenge is the high cost of production.

The cost of production has increased over the past years mainly because the increase in price of animal feeds, hence reducing profitability in the business. This problem has caused many breeders operating on a small scale production to stop rearing animals and venture in a more profitable business.

Understanding the objective of the dairy industry

To maximize milk production on a farm, the objective of the breeder is to have 1 calving per year (1 calf in a year). In an ideal situation, weaning (separation of the calf from cow) is done at 6-8 weeks (approximately 2 months of age only if calf has good body condition and is of appropriate weight). The heifer (a female calf) is reared with appropriate care from 2-8 months and is inseminated at 15 months (here also, insemination is done when heat is detected BUT only if the heifer is in good health and has a good body condition), so that the first calving is at 2 years of age. A shorter calving interval is more profitable because in the 5-year production cycle of the cow, there will be maximum 4 calving and hence maximum milk production. But in practical, it is not easy to achieve this as it requires the following precise skills on which the milk production will depend:

• Management of feeding programs
• Calf and heifer management
• Reproductive management of dairy cows
• Milking management
• Other husbandry practices related to animal health and welfare, housing, environment and bio-security measures.

How to reduce the cost of production in the dairy industry?

One of the most effective ways of reducing the cost of production in the dairy industry is to have a proper record keeping system and traceability of the herd, so that the right information is accessible at the right moment when important management decisions need to be taken. Depending on the level of production, different breeders choose to have different type of record keeping. For example, a breeder having 2-3 cows may keep his record in a book (where information on the tag number, age, breed, calving, insemination dates etc. are kept), whereas another breeder having 20-30 cows may record these information on Microsoft Excel. However, an intensive production of over 200 cows, it is difficult to manage all these information using these examples as it will become time consuming to search for a particular information on a specific animal. What other tools can be used for record keeping of an intensive farm?

The use of a Management Information System at the farm of SKC Dairy Fresh and Co Ltd in Mauritius

The SKC Dairy Fresh Co Ltd farm

In 2008, the Rose Belle Sugar Estate leased 235 arpents of land which was under sugarcane cultivation at Le Val to SKC Dairy Fresh and Co Ltd for a dairy project. SKC Dairy Fresh and Co Ltd has been incorporated between SKC SURAT GROUP and Stuart MacKenzie (a South African stakeholder) and their project had been favourably considered by the Rose Belle Sugar Estate in view of the National context of food security and the rising cost of imported milk.

With Mr. Stuart MacKenzie as stakeholder and SKC SURAT GROUP’s infrastructure, distribution and marketing network, the company presently has 250 dairy cows at their farm at Le Val, producing more than 5000 Litres of milk per day. The question that we ask ourselves is  what is the most effective way to record and manage data for a herd of 250 dairy cows and calves?  

The Management Information System used at the farm

During a visit at the farm situated at Le Val, the farm manager, Mr. Keith Hutton explained how the Management Information System that he uses in the farm allows him to manage his herd by going through some modules of the system and showing some examples. According to him, “he has more data on his animals than a doctor may have on his patient! Basically, the system is connected to two computers, but it is not connected to the internet at any point in time. His computer at home is also connected to the management software, where he can get access to all the information on what is happening in the farm, whether he is in Mauritius or in South Africa”.  The management software used at the SKC Dairy Fresh Co Ltd is the AfiFarm.

Herd view from the Management Information System

How does the Management Information System works?

The Management Information System also acts as a model that can simulate different scenarios. For it to work in the local context, the model has been calibrated and validated after constant data collection until all the data have been fine-tuned to fit the situation on the farm.

All cows on the farm are equipped with a tag called a “Pedometer”. This pedometer has the identification number of the animal, which also contains different sensors.

The Pedometer used at the farm

Below are two videos; The first one showing how to attach the tag properly and the second one is about how it works and its benefits:





If we want to get access to any information on a specific animal, we need to click on its identification number and basically any information that we need on the animal (the calf or cow) can be obtained in a few clicks.

As any other model, the one at the SKC Dairy Fresh Co Ltd has different modules which can be seen on the left as shown in the diagram below:

Arrow showing the different modules on the system

These modules are;

• AfiFarm Today
• Data Entry
• Herd View
• Station Reports
• Health Reports
• Estrus Reports
• Group Reports
• 10 Day Graphs
• Lactation Graphs
• Vet Visit

Each module can be expanded further and all data related to the modules can be obtained by the user. Some of these information that are used frequently are: feed consumption, weight gain by the animal, insemination date, conception rate, calving date, general events, lactation list etc.

Examples of some scenarios from the Management Information System

Heat detection

Heat detection is very important in order to inseminate the animal at the proper time for successful conception. In a farm of 10-20 cows, signs of heat can be observed by the breeder, but when one has a herd of 250 cows; it is quite easy to miss heat signs of some cows. But with the Management Information System, only by looking at the reduction in feed intake and in milk production will indicate to the farm manager that the cow is in heat and needs to be inseminated.

Conception rate

With the Management Information System, all records for artificial insemination done are kept and when there is no conception after the second insemination, the system will indicate that there is a problem and the farm manager needs to separate the animal and treat.

The above are just 2 examples of how the Management Information can be used by the farm manager mainly as a TOOL for prediction, management and decision making. By using it, important decisions are taken so as to reduce the cost of production and increase profitability. Mr. Keith Hutton of SKC Dairy Fresh Co Ltd stressed on the fact that without the information stored and generated by the system, he would not be able to manage his farm efficiently, BUT it is also true that the system cannot work on its own. Management and decision making is by the farm manager!

Photos from the SKC Dairy Fresh Co Ltd farm can be viewed on the slideshow below:

Thanks to Mr. Ashveen Fakeer of Meaders Feeds Ltd and Mr. Keith Hutton for the visit at SKC Dairy Fresh Co Ltd Farm at Le Val, Mauritius

Young Mauritian entrepreneur engaged in Hydroponics and online marketing

It is 2 p.m in Mauritius and we are heading to Rose-Hill (a town situated in the centre of the island) to meet an entrepreneur engaged in agriculture. Reaching our destination, there is a banner in front of the gate which grabs our attention: “www.tantebazar.com. Online Shopping - vegetables, fruits, Flowers”. Here resides Mehdi Rahimbaccus, a young Mauritian entrepreneur of 37 years old.

The idea of becoming an entrepreneur

After completing his BSc in Agricultural Management from the University of Mauritius in 2000, Mehdi decided to study further and went abroad for a Masters Degree. Two years later (2002), he was already a holder of a Double Diploma – International MBA and 3eme cycle en Management Internationale from the University of Northampton (UK) and Ecole Superieure Commerce et Management (Piotier, France) respectively. When he came back to Mauritius, getting a job in the agricultural sector was a challenge. It was then that Mehdi thought of going into entrepreneurship and do something he had particularly been interested about: Hydroponics. Following this curiosity, he did some research on the subject on the internet to gather information. Hydroponics is one in which crops are grown in a medium other than soil (e.g coco peat) under a protected culture like a greenhouse. To know more, he probed deeper and went to visit a greenhouse in Albion (a region in the North-West of Mauritius). A locally mounted greenhouse costs Rs 1200/m² (Rs 1 = 0.036 USD) compared to the imported one that costs Rs1600/m².  With the technical support of the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU), Mehdi had all the information he needed on hydroponics. All he needed was land and finance. With the help of his parents, he has been able to get a loan of Rs 1.2 million from the bank by putting a piece of land under guarantee and paying a monthly instalment of Rs 15,000. Together with a friend, Mehdi succeeded in constructing two locally mounted greenhouses of 1000 m² at Triolet (a village in the north of the country) and they formed a company called “Les Serres du Nord”. 

Mehdi Rahimbaccus's office 

Problems faced

The advantage of growing under hydroponics compared to the “traditional way” is that less space is taken by the plant (as the plant grows vertically and may reach a length of 20 m in the case of tomato) and the yield is higher (100kg/plant/cycle for tomato). Also, while growing crops under hydroponics, no pesticide is used, which reduce the cost of production and a product of higher quality is obtained. “Starting the business has not been that easy”, says Mehdi. Despite the fact that he had studied agriculture and had gathered information on the subject, it was not enough. He needed practice to have the required skills of a hydroponic grower and it took him 5 years to understand the business.

In 2007, Mehdi became an established hydroponics grower and he was cultivating mainly crops like tomato, cucumber and sweet pepper. He was selling them to local markets, supermarkets and there were other customers who came to buy directly at his place. The ICT Tools that he was using daily was his mobile phone and laptop. The mobile phone enabled him to stay in touch with suppliers and customers for orders and deliveries through calls and SMS, while he was managing his accounts and doing other record keeping on his laptop using Microsoft Office. Mehdi also made use of the internet regularly to be updated on hydroponics and other agriculture and entrepreneurship related issues.

The main problem that he was facing was: marketing of his products. Price fluctuation was a challenge and it was difficult to get “permanent” clients. The price of tomato for example may vary from Rs 40/kg to Rs 200/kg, depending on the season and also the management of the greenhouse. In Mauritius, usually there is the problem of all planters growing the same crop at the same time, and when there is a surplus, the price decreases drastically. Therefore, there were times when he was hardly making a profit from the business. Because the cost of production for hydroponics is high, he needed to find a solution for this. 

Sweet Pepper production under hydroponics in Mauritius

Decision to use ICT to market his products

During that year, there was a scheme by the Ministry of Agriculture called the Agricultural Technology Diffusion Scheme (ATDS). The objective of the ATDS was to facilitate access of farmers in the non-sugar sector to new technologies. After doing some research, Mehdi came across e-commerce and wanted to create a website, on which he could sell his products online. He wrote a project file and submitted it to the Ministry of Agriculture under the ATDS. After studying the project, it was approved by the ATDS Committee, and Mehdi benefited Rs 120,000 for the setup of a website. With the technical support of AREU and that of COMPnet Ltd, the website named www.tantebazar.com was created. In the local language, “tante bazar” is a traditional bag that Mauritians use when they go to the market.

What does www.tantebazar.com offer?

The aim of www.tantebazar.com is to go towards the customers, and make the experience of purchasing of agricultural products as simple as possible. It offers quality products and home delivery of the products purchased. There is a variety of products which is available, comprising of fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices. Moreover, other information on nutrition & health, recipes and gardening are also provided.

Like any other online store, the customer needs to select the product he/she wishes to buy and the quantity before confirming the order and checking out. When an order is received, Mehdi gets a notification and the product is delivered as soon as possible by himself in the van that he owns. 

Layout of the website

Difficulties faced by the entrepreneur

•         Visibility of the website

When the website was launched, the main challenge was to make it visible to the population. Through mass media (TV, radio, newspapers and banners) and advertisement on social networks (Facebook), the news was spread all over the country that it was now possible to buy vegetables, flowers, fruits and spices online. Before Mehdi, no one in agriculture was doing online marketing of their products and the Mauritian perception was that this initiative will not work. It took some time, but gradually Mehdi was getting at least 25 orders/day.

•          Cost of communication

Creating the website had an initial cost Rs 120,000, but its maintenance cost is also high. To date, the cost of communication has reached Rs 300,000. 

How has the use www.tantebazar.com been beneficial?

•          Stronger relationship with customers and facilitating marketing for other farmers

As a farmer, Mehdi does not produce all the commodities that are available on the website. What he does is that he remains in contact with other farmers, and when he gets an order, he buys it with them and sells it to his customer. By doing this, he is also helping other farmers in marketing their products. For example, Mehdi grows only hydroponics products like tomato and sweet pepper. If he gets an order for carrot, he will contact a farmer who is producing it and he will sell it for him. Today, Mehdi is in contact with more than 50 hydroponic growers and traditional growers as well in Mauritius. Furthermore, in order to run this business, not only the website is important, but also his mobile phone is an indispensable tool for networking with all the stakeholders involved.

•          Increased his production and revenue

Today, Mehdi is selling a total of 400kg of products/day and according to him; he is getting over 1000 orders/month and his revenue has increased by at least 30% after the implementation of his website. Among his customers are the well-known Hypermarket “Shoprite Hyper” and distributor & retailer “SKC Surat”.

•          Indirect benefits

With the setting up of www.tantebazar.com, Mehdi has become well-known all over the island. The image that he gives is that of a successful entrepreneur and he is regularly invited to forums related to entrepreneurship to share his experience with youth and he is also involved in helping new entrepreneurs in setting up their business. After this initiative, he has been appointed as board member of the Food and Agriculture Research Council (FARC) of Mauritius, which is a parastatal body involved in research, development and dissemination of information to the agricultural community. As board member, he is involved in project committees involving hydroponics and he plays a key role in lobbying.

Further improvements

•          Upgrading of the website and more delivery places

Despite having several advantages, www.tantebazar.com needs to have some improvements. Since its creation, the modules and services have not changed and it is still in a “Beta” version. Further upgrading is required so that it becomes more user-friendly. Another problem with the service is that deliveries are done only in 4 places in Mauritius (Central part), which are very restricted because someone living in the North or South of the country for example will not buy the products, when he/she can get it in a supermarket in the region.

•          More promotion and further investment

It has been 3 years since the establishment of the website and a lot has evolved in the ICT sector. In order to have more customers and further increase his revenue, Mehdi could have made further use of social media and other web2.0 tools. One example is that instead of paying for advertisement of his website on Facebook, he could have created a page and updated it regularly for the marketing of his products. With more sales, his revenue could increase further and he would be able to employ more people and expand his business.

Conclusion

Today, Mauritius is facing the problem of food security (with only 30% of local food production, 4% contribution of agriculture in the country’s GDP and an annual import bill exceeding 25 billion Rupees) and the Government has been encouraging youth to go in entrepreneurship via different schemes. The story of Mehdi Rahimbaccus is an example of a youth who, despite several difficulties never gave up, took risks and grabbed every opportunity that he got. With the innovative idea of a youth, the support of the Government, proper ICT framework and access to the right information at the right time, it is possible to have a successful career in agriculture and contribute to the economy!

Hungry Planet Episodes 8 & 9

For some months, I have been posting the videos of Hungry Planet which I find very interesting. Each one of them shows how different parts of the world have been affected by hunger and poverty, and the actions that have been taken by the UN's FAO, IFAD and WFP to mitigate its effects. Here are the episodes 8 and 9:


Hungry Planet - Episode 8

In this episode, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) faces serious food shortages after a harsh winter and flooding led to failed harvests. Developing small and medium size agricultural businesses helps reverse the flow of migration from moldova 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union. In Senegal, planting and managing Acacia forests helps combat desertification while providing life-changing benefits to local communities.

Hungry Planet - Episode 9

In the ninth episode of Hungry Planet, war-weary Somali gather at a project to collect rubbish in return for payment in food. We also look at the causes of food price volatility in many parts of the world. And, in Ethiopia, pastoralists are trained to watch for warning signs of drought to avert future humanitarian crisis.

Source: Youtube

World Food Day Celebrations in Mauritius

On the Occasion of the World Food Day 2011, the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security organised an exhibition and sale of agricultural products from 14th to16th October at the SSR Botanic Garden, Pamplemousses. Present were all the stakeholders in the sector, including Ministries, the private sector, producers, farmers, entrepreneurs, women organizations, Faculty of Agriculture of the University if Mauritius, NGOs, Banks and other support organizations. The Opening Ceremony was held on the 14th October and the exhibition was open to the public on the following two days.

Day 1: Opening Ceremony
On the 14th October, the first day of the exhibition at the SSR Botanic Garden, all the participants were busy setting up their respective stands. Each organisation had a table and some space, where they had displayed banners/posters/flyers/animals/other products to represent the work that they are doing in the Agro-Industry in Mauritius.


At 16:15, the Guest of Honour, the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Hon. Satish  Faugoo arrived and along with him were two more Ministers present; The Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperative, Hon. Jim Seetaram and the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer protection, Hon. Cader Sayed Hossen. With all the guests seated, a video on the situation of the Agro-Industry in Mauritius was projected followed by the speech of the Ministers and song from the Police Band.


Speech of the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Hon. Satish Faugoo

Hon. Satish Faugoo at the Opening Ceremony of World Food Day 2011

The Minister started his speech by recalling that last year the World Food Day exhibition was held at the same place and which had successfully attracted more than 65 000 visitors to the SSR Botanic Garden. He also emphasised that this event has also been a good way of promoting the SSR Botanic Garden, a symbolic place where in the past, plant species from all over the world were brought for research and also the memorial of the father of the Nation, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam is found in the garden.
The Minister then talked a bit about FAO and when we started to celebrate the World Food Day. He mentioned about the fact that agricultural production, poverty and hunger are inter-related issues and the World Food Day is becoming more and more important because it provides a platform where all the stakeholders involved can reflect and discuss the issues of food security, design strategies and find solutions. Coming to the World Food Day theme which is "Food Prices - From Crisis to Stability", Hon. Satish Faugoo claimed that Mauritius is facing problems regarding food security as we are not producing enough food locally and relying highly on imports. He gave some figures for the import of milk products and cereals, for which the amount which we are importing has increased from last year. Mauritius is importing 70% of the food that we consume, with an annual import bill exceeding Rs 25 Billion. Our climate is not appropriate for commodities like wheat, apple or orange and for some items like maize, it is more profitable to import than to produce locally. But according to the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, even if is is expensive to produce locally, we should not rely solely on import, but have to produce even if it is at a small scale.
With respect to this problem, the Government of Mauritius has been proactive and in 2007 decided to invest in agriculture through the Food Security Fund. Different schemes have been designed and implemented to address the problem of food insecurity in the country. The aim of the Food Security Fund is to have entrepreneurs instead of smallholder farmers, by giving them land through the Sugar Investment Trust and also providing them with technical support and capacity building. According to the Minister, all problems are related to one another and what is needed is to work in collaboration. Agricultural production is linked to health (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases etc.). What we need is a change in policy, change in mindset and way of doing things. With this strategy, the positive changes that has been seen for the past years are that Mauritius has now become self sufficient in vegetable and chicken production. We are producing 230 million eggs and 20 000 tonnes of potatoes (in which we will attain self-sufficiency very soon). Local milk production was 2% in 2003 and has reached 12% presently, with a production of 12 million litres a year. Loans of Rs 50,000 per head (with 5% interest) have been given to breeders so as to increase milk production locally. In the pig sector, pig breeders have been given loans of Rs 400,000 and today even after the problem of the swine fever, we have 18 000 heads. Moreover, since the tourism sector is also one of the pillars of our economy, we are also concerned with QUALITY. "We are all concerned with food security, and if we have been able to do these in the past 3 years, why can't we do it in the future?", asked the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security to the audience. He ended his speech by thanking all the farmers and stressed the fact that we also have to link agriculture to the environment and hence practice sustainable agriculture for a sustainable future!
With this, the World Food Day Exhibition and Sale was declared open and the inauguration was done by the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security. He visited some of the stands and left at 17:45.


Day 2 and 3: World Food Day Exhibition and sale
The event was promoted on the  National TV, radio stations, newspapers and banners were present on some round-about leading to the SSR Botanic Garden. There were more than 90 participants in this exhibition and the public had a lot to discover: Flowers, Food in all its form (cooked food, ice-cream, yoghurt, vegetables, fruits, new research on some promising crops, processed food like sausages, burgers etc.), farm animals (Day-old chicks and ducks, goat, sheep etc.), research organisations, banks and support organisations for farmers, gardening tools, farm machineries, agro-chemical suppliers (fertilisers, pesticides, seeds etc.), animal feed suppliers, NGOs working in the field of agriculture, private companies in the industry...
In short, all the components of the Agro-Industry was present in the exhibition and there was a lot for the public to discover. At 10 o'clock itself, crowds of people were beginning to fill the different stands. All of them were interesting and had some information to convey to the visitors, but there are some which caught the attention of many Mauritians:


Sale of day-old Chicks and ducks

Day-old chicks for sale

Day-old chicks were being sold at Rs 20 each and this attracted many visitors, especially youth and children.


Sale of "Hanging basket" and compost

Lettuce growing in the "Hanging Basket"

It is now possible to grow crops even if we do not have some some space or a kitchen garden! The basket was being sold at Rs 40 and Rs 60. At the same stand, we could find compost and plant-lets being sold, which attracted many people.


Sale of flowers and ornamentals

Flowers at one of the stands

Cactus plants on sale

It is a fact that Mauritians are not really attracted to agriculture as a career, but they certainly love flowers and ornamentals. Most of the visitors had them in their hands when going back home!


Sale of the cane juice called "Fangourin"

Squeezing the sugar-cane to get Fangourin

Ever tasted the cane juice, "Fangourin"? Well, Mauritians as well as tourists who visited the exhibition got the opportunity to buy and taste it!

Benefits of the World Food Day Exhibition and Sale
Being present at the event for the 3 days, I could see that the exhibition has had a positive impact on the visitors. Many bought day-old chicks, seeds, flowers etc. and this may help in getting some of them in the agriculture value-chain. Also, among the visitors were many children and youth, who have been able to see and get an idea about what the ago-industry consists of. This event is organised only once in a year by the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, but it is a very good initiative which should be kept as a tradition and also why not organising these kind of events at a regional level and more frequently?


More pictures of the event can be viewed in the video below:

Is the FAO WFD theme: Food Prices - From Crisis to Stability" applicable to Mauritius?

The World Food Day is an event celebrated annually on the 16th October, which also marks the anniversary of FAO. The aim of this event is to create awareness on agriculture, food production, the challenges being faced in this sector and what can be done to mitigate the negative effects. Since 1980 (the first time the World Food Day was celebrated), FAO has been setting a theme every year and the theme for this year (2011) is: "Food Prices - From Crisis to Stability".

From the World Food Day 2011 Video by FAO, the following have been given as the causes of High food prices:

• Insufficient grain resources
• Fluctuating Energy prices
• Population trends
• Rapid Economic Growth
• Extreme weather

But does this situation apply for Mauritius? In order to get the answers, some friends and I decided to talk to the stakeholders concerned and see what are their opinions regarding food prices and the World Food Day theme as a whole. We went to a supermarket and market in Port-Louis (the Capital City of Mauritius) to talk to the staff/vegetable & Meat sellers and consumers were interviewed as well. 

It was around 2 p.m when we arrived in Port-Louis. The Capital City of Mauritius is known to be very crowded with people, high temperature and traffic jam. We made our first stop in a supermarket to have a look at the food prices:

Biscuits

Rice

Fruits

Bread

Canned Food

Cereals

Canned Fish

Milk (powder)

Cheese

The pictures above give an idea on the prices of different commodities in Mauritius (1 USD = 30 Mauritian Rupees). But as we did not know much about price fluctuations, we went to talk to some consumers to get more information. I met a lady in her 50's, who has preferred to be anonymous and shared her opinions on food prices in Mauritius:
"Over the past 3-4 years, food prices have only increased and when this happens, there is never a decline in price after it. Prices keep on increasing, but our salary remain more or less the same, which means that we have to invest more in food and hence our standard of living is not really improving."


Below are some examples of increased food prices from 2009 to 2011 that were given by the same lady:
Powdered milk (1 kg) --> from Rs 100 to Rs 180
Meat - Beef (0.5 kg) --> from Rs 100 to Rs 150
Chicken (0.5 kg) --> from Rs 40 to Rs 68
Pulses (0.5 kg) --> from Rs 8 to Rs 18
Rice (0.5 kg) --> from Rs 20 to Rs 30-35
Apple/Orange --> from Rs 10 (3 units) to Rs 5 per unit
Egg (per unit) --> from Rs 5 to Rs 7 
Fish (0.5 kg) --> from Rs 60-75 to Rs 125
Sugar (2 kg) --> from Rs 40 to Rs 75


From these figures, it can be seen that there has been an increase in prices of food which we consume daily. 


We made our next stop to the Port Louis market (Known as "Bazar Port-Louis" in the local language). There, we went to interview vegetable sellers and the questions which were asked were mainly about their opinions on food prices for the past years, the challenges they are facing in their work and what can be done to improve the situation. 
Below are some pictures taken at the Port-Louis market:

Carrots

Interview with lettuce seller

Lemons

Beetroot

Fruits

Vegetable and fruit seller

Cauliflower

Vegetable seller (cabbage and cauliflower)

Cabbage

Tomato seller

Staple food (Sweet potato, cassava etc.)

Tomato seller

A customer giving sharing her opinion on food prices

The general comments obtained from the vegetable sellers are as follows:

• For the past 4-5 months the price of vegetables have remained more or less stable
• The factors which cause change in food prices are cyclones, competition with supermarkets and hotels, pest and diseases, climate change
• Measures that can be taken to regulate food prices are: more local production, a feasible marketing strategy, research on resistant varieties, provide land to farmers and give subsidies on inputs

From these visits, the general conclusions which can be drawn are: despite the fact that the price of some commodities have stayed more or less stable over the years (Vegetables for example), an overall increase in food prices has been observed in Mauritius, thereby confirming that the World Food Day Theme "Food Prices - From Crisis to Stability" is indeed applicable to Mauritius.

What are the impacts of high food prices in the country?

• Population has to invest more in food

With an increase in food prices, a huge proportion of the population's salary are going in buying food and in some cases, this is exceeding 50%. This means that when more money is invested in food, less investment is done in education or leisure. This situation is not helping in improving the standard of living of the vulnerable groups.

• Vulnerable groups look for food which is cheaper

In our population exist a group which do not have the financial capacity to buy the vegetables in the market and other food commodities in supermarkets. These people buy their food only in places where the prices are lower (hawkers on the street who sell vegetables and other commodities which are not of good quality, sales in shops/supermarkets). This results in problems like malnutrition and food poisoning (which is becoming a serious issue in the country), showing the fact that the signs of food insecurity are here! The food is here in the country, but safe and nutritious food are not accessible to everyone at all times.

What can be done to improve the situation in Mauritius?

• Boost local production

One of the major reasons why we are having the problem of high food prices and food insecurity in Mauritius is the we are not producing enough food locally. Presently, we are importing 70% of our total food consumption and the import bill exceeds Rs 25 billion. The solution for this will be to gradually start boosting our local production by engaging more people in agriculture. We have an ageing farmer population and more youth should be involved in the agriculture value-chain.

• Tackle social issues from grass-root levels

If we analyse the situation well, we will see that all social issues are inter-related; Unemployment causes poverty, poverty causes hunger, hunger causes malnutrition. These affect the health and education of the individual and may lead to problems like theft, violence, crime etc. Agriculture has the potential of solving these social issues as it is a source of employment, which many are not considering. What needs to be done is to encourage people who are trapped in these social issues into agriculture by providing them technical and financial support (subsidies on inputs etc.).

• Proper marketing of agricultural products

It can also be observed that marketing of agricultural products also has a huge impact on food prices. The group of vegetable sellers that we met mentioned this as a major problem for them. There are too many intermediaries in marketing of vegetables, which increase the food prices. Therefore, a proper marketing strategy can be adopted, whereby there is less gap between the food prices from the producer to the consumer.


In order to do the above, there should be new policies so that the vulnerable group and the population as a whole are protected.

Personally, this small visit has been very enriching since we got to know the opinions of the people who are directly involved in the buying and selling of food, and also about the situation of food prices in Mauritius. More to come in the following blog posts! :)