A Critical Situation in Agriculture: An Urgent Call to Action

For the past two decades, the agricultural sector has been grappling with persistent issues that jeopardize food security. Kavi Santchurn, President of the Agricultural Development Marketing Association (ADMA), which once boasted over a hundred members but has seen numbers dwindle, emphasized that the challenges remain unchanged. With a new government in place, Santchurn expressed hope that the farmers’ concerns will finally be addressed and that concrete measures will be implemented to rejuvenate agriculture in Mauritius.

The Rising Cost of Foreign Labor

One of the most pressing challenges facing the agricultural sector, according to Santchurn, is the soaring expense associated with hiring foreign workers.

As local labor became increasingly scarce, farmers have no choice but to seek assistance from foreign laborers.

While these workers are vital for the sector’s survival, their high costs are proving burdensome for local farmers.

Santchurn himself has encountered significant expenses related to housing and administrative processes when employing workers from Madagascar.

“Farmers are forced to allocate a majority of their funds towards foreign labor,” he lamented, criticizing the government’s decision to provide a subsidy of Rs 3,500 to foreign workers to supplement their salaries of Rs 20,000.

He noted a troubling trend: the lack of available local workers has become a stark reality.

“We sounded the alarm when local labor became unavailable, leading us to depend on foreign workers,” he stated.

His analysis pointed to two primary reasons for this shift: younger individuals are seeking opportunities abroad after completing their secondary education, while older workers are leaving the fields, often due to rising pension benefits.

As a result, farmers now rely heavily on foreign labor from countries such as Madagascar, Nepal, and India. “Regardless of their country of origin, the core problem persists,” he added.

The Exorbitant Costs for Farmers

Citing his own situation, Santchurn revealed that he recently hired eight Malagasy workers.

To accommodate them, he had to rent a building and spend Rs 400,000 on renovations to obtain an Accommodation Permit.

In addition to a monthly rent of Rs 10,000, there are also utility costs to consider.

He is also responsible for securing three-year Work Permits for his workers, paying for their airfare, and covering the fees of recruitment agencies.

“Last year, I was paying a base salary of Rs 11,000, but that amount has been raised four times by the previous government.

Today, I am required to pay Rs 16,500 per worker,” he explained.

This figure is not including mandatory contributions such as the General Social Contribution (CSG) and the National Savings Fund (NSF), which amount to Rs 1,400 for each worker.

Additionally, Santchurn has now been compelled to provide both a 13th and a 14th month of pay for these foreign workers.

Kavi Santchurn’s account highlighted the profound struggles within the agricultural sector, shedding light on the pressing need for government action to support farmers and alleviate the challenges that threaten their livelihoods.

As the new administration took the helm, the hope is that their voices will finally be heard and that real solutions will follow.

A Perceived Injustice: Calls for Fairness in Agriculture

Kavi Santchurn, President of the Agricultural Development Marketing Association (ADMA), has voiced strong objections to the government’s decision to provide a 13th and 14th month of pay for foreign workers, describing it as deeply unjust.

“The promise of a 14th month’s pay was intended solely for Mauritians, not for foreign workers who did not vote for this government,” he argued.

He expressed frustration that farmers are being placed on equal footing with large corporations, which have more financial resources to manage such costs.

“We cannot compare farmers to big businesses,” he insisted.

Santchurn highlighted a stark disparity between the benefits afforded to Mauritian workers and those available to foreign laborers.

“When a Mauritian worker goes home, they must fend for themselves to cover their needs,” he pointed out.

He is concerned that this situation has effectively created two classes of workers.

“Instead of allocating so much money to foreign workers, that money could have been invested to support Mauritian labor,” he emphasized.

According to him, this policy has resulted in blatant inequality, wherein foreign workers enjoy better living conditions than their Mauritian counterparts.

A Shift Towards Reduced Agricultural Work

Faced with untenable conditions, Santchurn suggested that it may soon become preferable to reduce, or even abandon, agricultural efforts altogether.

Within the ADMA, approximately fifty foreign workers are currently employed, yet he maintained that farmers have no choice but to depend on this foreign labor.

He believed that legislative changes could improve the situation.

“We cannot continue like this,” he asserted.

Vegetable Destruction and Economic Strain

Santchurn expressed deep concern about the challenges farmers are facing, particularly highlighted by the sale prices of vegetables.

Last year, carrots were auctioned off for a meager Rs 5 each, even as labor and input costs surged, a rise that has not been reflected in selling prices.

“We had to destroy acres of carrots because the cost to harvest them exceeded the value,” he lamented.

In 2024, he abandoned three acres of beets due to a lack of demand.

To recoup their expenses, Santchurn explained, farmers must produce and sell in larger quantities; however, this overproduction is difficult to manage as Mauritians are consuming fewer vegetables than in the past.

He attributed this decline in consumption to a growing fear surrounding pesticide use, which has led consumers to prefer fast food options.

Moreover, he has noted an increase in frozen vegetables available in stores, even though Mauritius has enough arable land to meet local needs.

Santchurn assured that the farmers’ fields are regularly inspected and that the pesticides used comply with safety standards.

“Pesticides are applied for specific reasons. No farmer wishes to misuse them,” he asserted.

A recent report from the Ministry of Health, titled the Mauritius Nutrition Survey 2022 and published in 2023, highlighting public health challenges related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Mauritius.

The report showed a rising prevalence of risk factors such as overweight issues, obesity, and sedentary lifestyles, with successive surveys conducted between 1987 and 2021 indicating an alarming trend.

The report further emphasized the frequency of metabolic syndrome—a combination of cardiovascular risk factors including abdominal obesity and high blood pressure—as major contributors to worsening NCD rates in the country.

Reevaluation of Conditions for Foreign Workers

Kavi Santchurn emphasized that farmers are not seeking financial handouts from the government.

“I appeal to the Minister of Agriculture to listen to us. We have the capability; we only need the right support,” he stated.

He insisted that priority should be given to reevaluating working conditions for foreign laborers, which is essential for enabling farmers to revitalize the agricultural sector.

He expressed disappointment that some union leaders advocating for foreign workers do not fully grasp the realities faced by local farmers.

Source: l’Express