Minister Boolell reviews key priorities and challenges across agriculture, fisheries and maritime sectors

The Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, Dr Arvin Boolell, chaired a follow-up meeting, yesterday, at the Mauritius Cane Industry Authority in Réduit, with Heads of Departments, Chief Executives, Directors and General Managers of institutions falling under the Ministry to review progress on the implementation of its 2026 Action Plan.

The meeting focused on ongoing projects, operational challenges and priority actions in several sectors namely agriculture, fisheries, food security, conservation and maritime. The Junior Minister of the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, Mr Gilles Fabrice David; the Senior Chief Executive of the Ministry, Mrs Kantabye Babajee; and the Permanent Secretary, Mr Veersingh Boodhna, were also present.

In a statement, Minister Boolell expressed satisfaction as regard the progress of works and stressed the importance of monitoring progress under the Programme-Based Budgeting framework. He highlighted ongoing preparation of legislation relating to wetlands, blue economy and new forestry. He also noted the need to address staff shortages in the Department of Conservation as well as in other departments.

Regarding the sugarcane sector, he stated that the industry was performing well and that a good harvest was expected this year. He also announced the forthcoming inauguration of a biomass laboratory.

On fisheries, the Minister highlighted the Agreement between the European Union and Mauritius to support the local sector. He expressed concerns over the United Kingdom’s decision on duty-free tuna access that could undermine Mauritius’ longstanding competitive advantage. He talked of the importance of maintaining Mauritius’ competitiveness in the industry, which generates around Rs 15 billion annually.

The Minister further highlighted the potential of the Blue Economy, underlining the need for a multisectoral approach which would include ocean thermal energy, seawater use, aquaculture and climate-financed projects. He stressed the importance of developing bankable ocean-based projects and noted ongoing work on a National Blue Economy Strategy and legislative framework.

Speaking on food security, Dr Boolell stated that the objective was the production of at least 25 percent of the country’s food requirements locally by 2035 to reduce dependence on imports. He also underscored the potential for Mauritius to serve as a regional platform for trade and investment.

For his part, Junior Minister Fabrice David said the meeting provided an opportunity to review the Ministry’s strategy, assess progress and address constraints, with the objective of ensuring effective implementation of budgetary measures and the 2026 Action Plan. He added that departments and parastatal organisations were working collaboratively, guided by results-oriented key performance indicators.

23 September 2026

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Topics: Agriculture, Fisheries, Ocean Economy

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