Agriculture Conference: Fabrice David Urges Experienced Farmers to Share Their Knowledge with Youth

A pre-consultative workshop gathering farmers and other key players from the crop and livestock sectors took place on Friday, October 24, 2025, at the Mauritius Cane Industry Authority Hall in St Pierre, in the lead-up to the upcoming Agriculture Conference. The aim was to engage various stakeholders in discussions to identify ways to make these sectors more dynamic and to formulate proposals.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy, and Fisheries, in collaboration with the Small Farmers Welfare Fund (SFWF) and the Food and Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (FAREI).

Present at the event were the Minister Delegated for Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy, and Fisheries, Fabrice David; the President of the SFWF, Mahendrah Gooniah; the Director-General of FAREI, Ms. Madhvee Madhou; the Director of SFWF, Roopesh Bheekarry; and other dignitaries.

In his speech, Fabrice David emphasized that the Ministry's priority is to ensure the country's food security and to make the sector more resilient. He highlighted the urgency of increasing the quantity and quality of national food production to reduce dependence on food imports, which he estimates to be around Rs 65 billion per year.

The Minister also stressed the need to encourage more young people to join the agricultural sector and called on experienced farmers to share their experience and knowledge.

Mahendrah Gooniah stated that the Agriculture Conference will contribute to developing practical solutions for farmers and growers. He urged attendees to share their ideas so they can be considered in the development of measures aimed at improving the sector.

As for Madhvee Madhou, she noted that one of the main objectives of the Agriculture Conference will be to develop a roadmap to achieve food security and self-sufficiency in the country. She also mentioned that FAREI has held numerous consultations with various stakeholders and will prepare a report to be presented to farmers for validation.

Roopesh Bheekarry, for his part, stated that the government is adopting a bottom-up approach by conducting many consultations with farmers and growers so that sustainable solutions are formulated and adopted.