Veterinary Hospital in Mauritius - 2015

Mauritius will establish a veterinary hospital by 2015, with a structure at the cutting edge of medicine to care for the animals of the island which until then were supported in three centres in Rose-Hill, Union-Park and Calodyne for only basic care. The new veterinary hospital will offer a range ophthalmic and orthopedic care and surgery for diseased animals affected by all kinds of diseases deemed "severe", with affordable medical charges for some 100,000 owners of animals on the island. Initially, hospital will welcome pets whose health status must require significant processing and then the structure will then receive more large animals, such as horses or oxen. The veterinary hospital project built in the Plains-Wilhems region over an area between 1.200 m2 and 1.500 m2 and initiated by the Ministry of agro-industry will cost about 60 million rupees (1.5 million euros). An Indian expert, Dr. Amarjit Singh Nanda, advise the Mauritian authorities during a field visit from 20 to 26 last October and meet with members of the Committee officials who are working on the operational implementation this hospital project for animals on the island.

DEAN'S MERIT LIST OF STUDENTS

The Faculty of Agriculture at the back.

Students of the Faculty

Senate of the University has approved that a list of on going students with CPA greater than 70 be published yearly on the UoM Website. In this context, the list of students is being posted on the blog of the Faculty of Agriculture to create greater awareness and act as incentives to all student to work harder. Congratulations!!!!

. Contributor: Mr Yasin Haukim, Administrative Officer

UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS

FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE

Dean’s Merit List

 (Students whose Academic Performance has been excellent over the year & achieve a CPA ≥ 70

Student Name	Programme	Stream
AUKHOJEE Mitesha	BSc (Hons) Food Safety and Quality	2011/2012
JOWAHEER Samina Munir	BSc (Hons) Microbiology	2011/2012
MARDAMOOTOO Tania	MSc Sustainable Agrochemical Management	2012/2012
NEERUNJUN Peetambar Jain	BSc (Hons) Microbiology	2011/2012
NUNDLALL Suraj	Certificate in Forestry	2012/2013
RAMTI Rajcoomarsingh	Certificate in Forestry	2012/2013
SEEGOLAM Avinash Veerta	Certificate in Forestry	2012/2013
SHAIKH ABDOOLLA Bibi Neeloofer	BSc (Hons) Microbiology	2011/2012
THEEROOVENGADUM Nivershee Sandiana	BSc (Hons) Agriscience and Technology	2011/2012

Pearl Culture in Mauritius

 

A three-day workshop on marine pearl culture organised by the Mauritius Oceanography Institute (MOI) opened this morning at La Cannelle, Domaine Les Pailles. Around 60 participants from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Fisheries, MOI, University of Mauritius, Mauritius Research Council, Maurice Ile Durable, National Coast Guard, Sotravic and Ferme Marine de Mahebourg, amongst others, are attending.

Mr Shane Hurdowar and Mr Satyam Bhoyroo of the Faculty of Agriculture attended the workshop. A Chinese expert, Professor Xie Longwei has initiated Mauritian biologists to the technique of grafting which requires according to him 6 months of practice to master the overlay of a small ball in acre in the heart of Pearl oysters after a surgical incision. Watch video here

The resource persons comprise a team of four Chinese experts from the Third Institute of Oceanology–State Oceanic Administration (TIOSOA).  They will make presentations on several topics, namely: pearl oyster biology: development, aquaculture and utilisation; how to set up a pearl oyster hatchery; pearl oyster breeding; diet microalgae culture for pearl oyster; and pearl oyster aquaculture technique.

This intensive and comprehensive workshop will also deal with infrastructure facilities needed for a hatchery, controlled maturation and spawning, larval rearing, larval feeding, pearl oyster grafting, farm management and pearl processing.  Demonstration and seeding sessions are scheduled to be held at the MOI farm site at the Albion Fisheries Research Centre. It is the first time that grafting of Mauritian oysters will take place so they may produce pearls in the country.

This workshop aims to create an opportunity for technology transfer, training and support for the local aquaculture industry. It will also review the present state of pearl oysters farming as well as the transfer of technology that will help the MOI jumpstart its pearl oyster grafting efforts.  The training workshop will also help to extend the technical know-how to the fishing community.

In his address, Professor Xie Longwei from TIOSOA said that the objective of his visit is to discuss and exchange information about pearl oyster cultivation while helping to improve the industry in Mauritius. He pointed out that although the types of oysters in China and Mauritius are different, the technology of pearl cultivation is similar. He expressed his confidence that the cooperation between the MOI and TIOSOA in pearl oyster cultivation will bear fruits and that he would like to see success in this new endeavour.

For his part, the Officer-in-Charge of the MOI, Dr Daniel Marie, recalled that the workshop represents a unique opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations between the Republic of Mauritius and the People’s Republic of China.  He stated that China has mastered all types of marine and aquaculture technology and products, adding that academic and applied research has a fundamental role to play in the prosperity of a nation. As regards pearl culture in Mauritius, Dr Marie pointed out that the MOI has undertaken a lot of research and much  work has been carried out since the project was launched in 2007. 

Pearl production in Mauritius

The Mauritius Oceanography Institute has been undertaking research on various aspects of marine living resources for the development of our country's marine fisheries, in line with the Government Programme of 2012 - 2015 of transforming the Island into an Ocean State.  Under this programme, several  investigations were taken up on the culture of pearl oyster, especially during the past couple of years, and considerable progress has been achieved.  

Pearl production is a thriving business for coastal communities. Prior to establishing and operating a pearl oyster hatchery, the correct biological conditions must be present to allow pearl oysters to grow well and produce high quality pearls. Through a feasibility study, it is possible to determine if the right conditions for growing pearl oysters are available.

Except for the highly skilled procedure of grafting, pearl culture requires simple farm structures, and more importantly, no artificial feeds. Production of high quality pearls is only possible under certain conditions, including a suitable farm site. Several varieties of pearl oysters are used for pearl culture, of which Pinctadamargaritifera (black lip pearl oyster) and Pinctada maculata which are present in the Mauritian waters and can be a potential species to be used in local farms.

Pearls are formed naturally when the oyster is irritated by the presence of a foreign particle in its body. This is usually a small piece of rock or a grain of sand. To get rid of the irritant, the oyster lays down a layer of the shiny, iridescent nacre around the particle to form the pearl.

Wheat Harvest Ceremony at Petit Merlot

The MRC and the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology in collaboration with Petit Merlot Dairy Farm launched the wheat harvest of an experimental plot (Phase 2) on 24 Oct 2013.

The second phase of the Experimental Wheat Cultivation project, spearheaded by the Mauritius Research Council (MRC), is well underway, with the first harvest of the season held at Petit Merlot in Midlands.

To mark the event, a harvest ceremony was organised yesterday in Petit Merlot in the presence of the Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology, Dr Rajeshwar Jeetah, and different stakeholders. In his address, Dr Jeetah stated that Mauritius imports 70% of its food requirements, with rice and wheat being the most important staple foods while the local flourmill processes 165,000 tons of wheat into 100,000 tons of flour each year. He said that Mauritius’s dependence on food imports coupled with the volatility of food prices have brought forth the necessity to embark on innovative ventures.

Highlighting the opportunities for small entrepreneurs, in particular, women entrepreneurs in enrolling in the wheat cultivation project, Dr Jeetah said that his ministry and the MRC will work together to devise new schemes to encourage the entrepreneurs to join this endeavour. He added that though wheat cultivation in Mauritius is still in the early phase of experimentation, it will not be long before Mauritius will develop the required technology and be exporting its technological know-how to other countries.

The Minister also commended representatives of the Petit Merlot Dairy Farm Cooperative Ltd for their collaboration in the second phase of the experimental wheat cultivation project. The Cooperative has provided some three acres of land. Sowing was done in July 2013 and after a crop cycle of four months, the crop is now ready for harvest. In light of the promising results, the Petit Merlot Dairy Farm Cooperative Ltd has decided to provide some 10 arpents to the MRC in the next phase of the project.

It is to be recalled that the first phase of the experimental wheat cultivation project was initiated in June 2012. It focused on evaluating wheat cultivation under different agro-climatic conditions of Mauritius, determining the highest yielding wheat variety under study and assessing the quality of the wheat product as flour for consumption. The results were promising with an average yield of four tons per hectare of wheat grains obtained from all six varieties under study.

Under Phase II of the project, the three best varieties from Phase I have been sown as from June 2013 on a total area of nine acres of land in Saint Aubin, Saint Antoine and Petit Merlot.

A more in-depth laboratory analysis of the wheat harvested in Phase II will be performed in order to validate the results obtained previously. After harvest, the wheat will be processed into flour and the flour quality evaluated.

World Standards Day 2013

 

World Standards Day was celebrated yesterday, 14 October 2013.  This year's theme is: "International Standards ensure positive change".  Further information can be obtained from the following link:

http://www.iso.org/iso/world-standards-day2013.

Contributor: Mrs Esha Aumjaud

FAO DATABASE AGRIS reaches 7 million records

In September, AGRIS reached the 7 million records, enriching its collection with the important agricultural literature of AGRICOLA, the database created and maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and maintained by the U.S. National Agricultural Library.

In addition to the 3.3 million records indexed from AGRICOLA’s collection, AGRIS published 6,000 bibliographic references delivered by a number of scientific journal publishers, information centres and National libraries of Countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, Brazil, China, Cuba, Czech Rep., India, Latvia, Pakistan, Nepal (ICIMOD), Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, Syria and Turkey.

Every month the AGRIS database, together with its active Network, a worldwide community of 150 and more Institutions, disseminates important information on agriculture and related sciences. Its repository grows day by day and today, its current 7 million scientific articles - all indexed by Google via Sitemap - play an essential role for the acquisition of always updated information from scientists, researchers and PhD in the FAO technical areas.

When scientists access this information, they indirectly contribute in fulfilling the first FAO strategic objective, that is to “help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition”. In the last five years, the scientific world has recognized the importance of open access and scholarly data. In this framework, AGRIS facilitates the researchers to “…use each other’s data and conclusions to extend their own ideas, making the total effort much greater than the sum of the individual efforts”.[1]

To know more on AGRIS and browse its data, visit http://agris.fao.org, one of the most visited websites in FAO.

Reopening of the octopus fishery in Rodrigues: a success story

5. The official reopening of the Octopus Fishery 2013 took place at Petite Butte on Monday 07 October 2013. With view to increase awareness of the benefits of the closure season amongst the octopus fishers and the general public, a competition on the biggest octopus catch was organised and a “Top Chef Ourites Menu Competition” was held at Mourouk Ebony Hotel. The Chief Commissioner of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, Serge Clair, and teh Secretary of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), Jean-Claude de l'Estrac, were present at the opening ceremony, given the importance of this measure for the preservation of natural resources.
6. 
   
   Mario Lenzi Emilien won the first prize with a catch of 5.3 k, and Jean Claude Meunier with 4.8 kg Johnson Perrine, 4.5 kg. In other parts of the island, the largest catches were made but not officially approved. The Commissioner of Fisheries, Richard Payendee, announced in its official discourse that fishers in the Port Southeast returned with four octopus of 20 kg.
   
   
   This temporary closure, which was a first in Rodrigues, was supported by the Indian Ocean Commission through the SmartFish and funded by the European Union. "The authorities were aware of problems with the octopus fishery and thought to protect the fisher's interests to ensure the sustainable development of octopus fisheries in Rodrigues. This is because in less than 10 years there would be no more octopus' if nothing was done." Said Richard Payendee, the Commissioner of Fisheries in Rodrigues. "Over the last decade, we have seen that there are fewer octopus, but we had no choice because it was our livelihood" Stephania Claire shows, one of octopus fisherwomen. The octopus is among the marine species that grow the fastest in a short time (usually less than two years). Fifteen years ago, Rodrigues produced nearly 800 tonnes of octopus per year, but today they produce less than 200 tonnes. It is hopedvthatbthrough this programme octcopus fishery will increase in the near future.
   The closure season ourites Rodrigues was cited as an example in the sound management of natural resources. The closure allows the marine ecosystem be less pressure. A female octopus can lay up to 500,000 eggs in ideal conditions. In Rodrigues, the most favorable period extends from August to October and allows females migrate offshore to spawn and take refuge on the barrier reefs for shelter from predators. During the period from Closing time, they are some 1260 fishermen who have benefited from alternative paid activities for 30 days. 
   

Farming Matters - Education for change

All too often, education in rural areas serves to disconnect and estrange rural people from their own culture and environment, and increases the gap between rural and urban settings. Yet education can be a powerful tool for developing skills, strengthening the value attached to farming, supporting young rural people in their search for identity and future opportunities, and contributing towards a more sustainable and just agriculture. Education needs to be better connected to rural realities and the enormous potential that family farming has in addressing the pressing challenges facing the world today. The initiatives highlighted in this issue, even if small in scale, are all building towards this.

WORLD FOOD DAY 2013: "SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS FOR FOOD SECURITY ANDNUTRITION"

“Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition” will be the focus of World Food Day in 2013.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation is a division of the United Nations, and is responsible for World Food Day. Along with raising awareness of hunger and poverty, the day aims to encourage economic and technological cooperation between different governments and with non-governmental organisations.

The official World Food Day theme gives focus to World Food Day observances and helps increase understanding of problems and solutions in the drive to end hunger. Today almost 870 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished. Unsustainable models of development are degrading the natural environment, threatening ecosystems and biodiversity that will be needed for our future food supply. Calls for profound changes in our agriculture and food systems are becoming more frequent and more insistent.
Addressing the long-standing issue of hunger also means finding solutions that can be implemented to prevent unsustainable development practices which often cause the degradation and depletion of natural ecosystems. It is also necessary to thoroughly reassess food lifestyles and agricultural production in the most developed countries, preventing the waste of raw materials, in order to safeguard the future of our planet.

What would a sustainable food system look like? Is it possible to get from here to there? What would need to change to move us in that direction? World Food Day 2013 is an opportunity to explore these and other questions, and help bring about the future we want.

However, it is not just about donating food to the world's hungry and undernourished peoples. It is about doing something to help them help themselves. If I was hungry and someone gave me a plough to farm my land I would be far more grateful than if they gave me a sack of potatoes. If I had a plough I could be self-sufficient and produce my own food. That is what the day is trying to encourage.  
Open days in the various stations of the Ministry ( read more below)

Workshop on Broiler Supply Chain - Mapping the Supply Chain of Broiler Chicken in Mauritius, to assess the effects of external threats

Mrs Brinda Ramaswamy, the principal investigator and investigators Dr Harris Neeliah and Mr Kamlesh Boodhoo presented the research findings of an MRC funded project on the broiler supply chain on 11 Oct 2013 at the MRC, Ebene. The half day workshop was attended by about 40 people from a range of stakeholders, namely the private sector ( FAIL, INNODIS, LFL, AVIPRO, etc) the Government services ( STATISTICS OFFICE), and  AREU among others. In the discussion session, some points raised were namely: the possible impact of liberalisation of the import of chicken meat, the food safety of locally sold chicken, the waste disposal systems of the poultry industry, the need for veterinary inspection of chicken meat at slaughter houses, the impact of non specific diseases caused by E.Coli, Campylobacter was stressed, the illegal slaughtering of chicken, the price spikes of the feed ingredients.

Mrs B.Ramasawmy and Mr K.Boodhoo of the Faculty of Agriculture, in absentia Dr Neeliah

The principal investigator, Mrs B. Ramasawmy being interviewed by the local broadcasting news agency (MBC)

A resume of the findings can be read below.