The Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, inaugurated, on Sunday, a liaison office of the Food and Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (FAREI) in Rodrigues. The building also houses a branch of the Small Farmers Welfare Fund and the Public Relation Unit of the Commission for Agriculture, Fisheries, Forest and Plant & Animal Quarantine.
The Chief Commissioner of Rodrigues, Mr Johnson Roussety, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Fisheries, Forest and Plant & Animal Quarantine, Mr Louis Ange Perrine, and other personalities were present at the inauguration ceremony.
In his address, Minister Gobin highlighted that this project bears testimony to the collaboration between Central Government and the Regional Assembly of Rodrigues. He observed that the FAREI office will play a major role as it will contribute to disseminate all relevant information to planters and breeders in Rodrigues so as to enable them to enhance their production of quality goods.
The Minister seized this opportunity to reaffirm Central Government’s support to Rodrigues’ Regional Assembly and recalled that he had meetings with representatives of the Agricultural Marketing Board (AMB) regarding exportation of products such as lemons and onions from Rodrigues to Mauritius. He underlined that the AMB has already provided a floor price for some products so that producers know in advance at what price their products will be sold.
During his visit to Rodrigues, Minister Gobin and his delegation also attended an award ceremony of prizes to the children of planters and breeders under the Educational Achiever Award Scheme, as well as a wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the abolition of slavery and emancipation of slaves in Rodrigues, at the Montagne cemetery.
