The agro sector encompasses various sub-sectors:

• Seafood – fish and fishery products
• Spirits and beverages
• Ethnic foods
• Spices
• Confectionary / Jams
• Wheat products: pasta, noodles, biscuits
• Special sugars

Local brands in the agro-industrial sector are therefore having to undergo profound changes in order to cope with this new paradigm and to adapt to new market conditions.

The number of operators in the sector has been increasing steadily over the last few years. As at June 2008, there were 1576 operators in the agro-processing sector. The agro sector has a huge potential for diversification, and great value addition. Moreover, export demand is expected to keep on growing. Exports of food products (excl. sugar and seafood but incl. tobacco) products for 2009 stood at Rs. 2,442 billion, compared to Rs. 1,901 million in 2008.

The seafood sector has also been establishing itself as a major source of revenue for the country. Export of fish and fish preparations for the period Jan-June 2009 amounted to 3,5 billion, representing an increase of approximately Rs. 750 million over the same period for 2008.

For the Mauritian agro sector, the main export markets have traditionally been the United States, the EU and the African continent.

Enterprise Mauritius is now looking at opportunities to expand our customer base by exploring possibilities in countries such as Russia and Japan.