Budget 2026-2027 - Water, Labor, and Subsidies: Farmers' Priorities

The pre-budget consultations for the 2026-2027 Budget began on Wednesday, April 29, chaired by the Junior Minister at the Ministry of Finance, Dhaneshwar Damry. Farmers and breeders kicked off the discussions, followed by cooperatives, SMEs and startups, as well as tourism associations and professionals.

From the agricultural sector, Kissonah Rajdev, representing the Mauritius Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Federation, advocated for strengthening local vegetable production, especially onions. He called for increased subsidies to encourage local producers and demanded concrete measures to address the labor shortage in the sector.

Gunsham Seeborun, secretary of Mauritius Bio Organic, suggested introducing zero-interest loans to revitalize local agriculture, believing such facilities could attract more young people to the industry. However, he highlighted water access issues as a major barrier for farmers.