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| Mr. Gunsham Seeborun, President of FALCON Association |
The President of the Falcon Association delivered several key messages emphasizing the urgent need for a transformed Mauritian agro-industry:
A Resilient Voice for Farmers Since 2004 🧑🌾
The core message is that Falcon is a long-standing advocate for Mauritian farmers, specifically those in the fruit and vegetable sector. Established in 2004, the association is not just a local entity; it's globally connected, affiliated with the World Farmers Organization (WFO) and various regional bodies. This international presence allows Falcon to actively send young Mauritians to "participate in international conferences to represent the voice of the planters of Mauritius," building their capacity and ensuring the island's agricultural perspective is heard worldwide. Falcon also registered a cooperative to directly benefit its members.
The Critical Processing Gap: From Farm to Waste 📉
A central and urgent message is that Mauritius has a significant gap in its food processing capabilities. The President highlighted that despite local agricultural production, "we import a lot of processed foods, almost 70%." This imbalance leads to a paradoxical situation: much of what's produced is either wasted or sent abroad for processing only to be re-imported as finished goods. This is not only economically inefficient but also impacts food security.
Food Processing: The Triple Solution for Food Security, Waste, and Economy 💰
Developing a robust food processing industry is presented as the essential triple solution for several national challenges. It's key to:
Enhancing food security by transforming perishable raw produce into shelf-stable, accessible products.
Significantly reducing post-harvest waste, turning what would be discarded into valuable goods.
Creating new economic opportunities and industrializing the agricultural sector beyond just cultivation. He observed that many women already do processing at a domestic level, and the goal is to "industrialize" these effort.
Strategic Partnerships Driving Capacity Building (University & China) 🤝
Strategic collaboration is crucial, especially with the University of Mauritius (UoM). Falcon is actively partnering with the Faculty of Agriculture, to provide advanced "food processing" training. This intensive course, which saw 80 applicants narrowed down to 35 selected participants, aims to equip individuals, particularly vulnerable family members and women-led food enterprises, with the skills needed to "enter the industry that does transformation."
Furthermore, Falcon places strong emphasis on technology and has a significant collaboration with China. This partnership is vital for accessing "machinery that can develop" local processing capabilities, providing access to advanced equipment and technical expertise.
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Vision for a National Food Processing Zone: A 10-Year Plan 🏗️
A top priority and long-term vision articulated by Falcon is the establishment of a dedicated "food processing zone" in Mauritius. The President directly appealed to the Minister, contrasting Mauritius's situation with Europe's, where raw materials are transformed before re-importation. Falcon has a clear "10-year plan to develop this processing zone."
Success Requires Investment, Policy, and Youth Engagement 🌱
The ambitious vision for a fully industrialized food processing sector hinges on several critical requirements: significant funding, supportive government policies, and crucially, human capacity, especially attracting and training "new youth who enter there" to ensure the sector's sustainability and growth beyond just cultivation.
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