Minister Gobin encourages sustainable and local food production

The
Attorney
General and Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin made this
statement at a press conference, this morning, at the seat of the Ministry in
Port-Louis.

Prior to the press conference, the Minister chaired a meeting
with stakeholders of public and private bodies to discuss the impacts of the novel coronavirus
on the Food Security in Mauritius.

Mr
Gobin highlighted that despite no case of Covid-19 has been reported
in Mauritius, the
country remains vulnerable to such a threat, hence self-sufficiency is a necessity to generate an increase in local
production.

Even
if there is no shortage of agricultural food on the market, Mr Gobin indicated,
it is important that in the wake of such pandemic, local production of food
crops is encouraged. The Ministry, he added, is striving to contain the risks
of the virus and limit its impact on the agricultural sector.

The
Minister further appealed to the population not to give in to panic buying and
to avoid creating artificial shortages of products. He stated that the Ministry is acting proactively and will ensure that
meetings be held regularly with stakeholders so as to communicate effectively
important information to the public as the situation evolves.

Government Information Service, Prime Minister’s Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email: gis@govmu.org  Website: http://gis.govmu.org  Mobile App: Search Gov
​​