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]
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