Republic of Mauritius- Supply of rice, flour, potatoes and onions will be sustained states Minister Sawmynaden

This statement was made, today, by the Minister of Commerce and Consumer
Protection, Mr Yogida Sawmynaden, at the National Assembly in reply to a
Parliamentary Question pertaining to stocks of rice and flour available and the
ne​xt shipments scheduled.

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As regards basmati rice, the STC has a stock of 5 936 packs of five kg
of rice available which will last till end of May 2020. Minister Sawmynaden
indicated that two consignments of 75 metric tons of basmati rice in 20 kg packets
and 175 metric tons in five kg packages have been sailed from Pakistan in April
2020 and are expected to arrive in Mauritius on 7 May 2020. These stocks, he
added, will last till August/September 2020.

Stock of Potatoes and Onions

Concerning the stock of onions and potations available from the
Agricultural Marketing board (AMB), the Attorney-General and Minister of
Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, in reply to a Parliamentary
Question, reassured the population that all necessary measures have been taken to ensure sustained supply of potatoes,
onions and garlic to the population.

He underlined that at no point in time,
there was a shortage of potatoes, onions or garlic. However, during the initial
days of the confinement period, people had difficulty to buy these foodstuffs
since the usual selling points were closed or distribution channels were
disturbed, he said.

He informed the House that well before
the confinement, the AMB had already planned to import potatoes and onions to
consolidate its strategic stock pending the local harvest season which starts
as from mid-July.  In the same context,
private importers were also allocated quotas to import potatoes and onions, he
said.

During the confinement period, the AMB
received 3,163 tons of potatoes from Egypt and India and 2,212 tons Onions from
Holland, South Africa and India.  In
addition, some 2,742 tons of potatoes and 1,260 tons of onions are expected
till 12 June 2020.

Local cultivation of potatoes has
already started and the harvest is expected as from mid-July.  According to Mr Gobin, the present stock and
incoming consignments for AMB as well as private importers will be more than
sufficient until the start of the local harvest.  However, as far as onions is concerned, additional
consignments will be ordered until the beginning of the harvest season, that
is, from August.

He indicated that during the period 23
to 26 March, which was the beginning of the total confinement, had its inherent
constraints. The sale of onions and potatoes during that period had initially
declined due to the closure of market fairs and supermarkets. Consequently,
dealers could not make normal deliveries to their respective retailers.  Normal supply was resumed as from 27 March
2020, he added.

Mr Gobin recalled that when normal
delivery resumed, a few unscrupulous dealers resorted to hoarding and
profiteering adding that immediate action was taken with the collaboration of
the Consumer Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Protection
as well as the Police.

Furthermore, the Consumer Protection
(Price and Supplies Control) Act 1998 and the Consumer Protection (Control of
Price of Taxable and Non-taxable Goods) Regulations 1998 were amended with
effect from 23 March 2020 to fix the maximum retail price of onions and
potatoes at Rs 40 per kg.

He indicated that some 20
contraventions have been established till date specifically concerning potatoes
and onions while other contraventions were also established in view of other
products.

The Minister further underlined that with
a view to ensuring sustained and adequate supply of these commodities, the AMB
decided to enlarge its circle of distribution by including
hypermarkets/supermarkets, retail shops as well as online home delivery
platforms. 

On the other hand, AMB resorted to
directly supply hospitals and other public institutions. Moreover, AMB ensured
free distribution of 5.5 tons of potatoes and onions and two tons of garlic to
charitable institutions on two occasions.

He also made a comparison between
weekly consumption of potatoes and onions during normal time and confinement. During
normal time, the weekly consumption is around 400 tons of potatoes and 300 tons
of onions.

During the confinement, the weekly
supply of potatoes and onions are as follows:

Onions

a)    Week 30^th March to 3^rd
April: 200 tons

b)    Week 6^th to 10^th
April: 367 tons

c)    Week 13^th to 17^th
April: 479 tons

d)    Week 20^th to 24^th
April: 544 tons 

Potatoes

a)    Week 30^th March to 3^rd
April: 275 tons

b)    Week 6^th to 10^th
April: 423 tons

c)    Week 13^th to 17^th
April: 538 tons

d)    Week 20^th to 24^th
April: 697 tons

Speaking about the challenges encountered during the consignment
period, Minister Gobin stated that it has been an opportunity for his Ministry
to rethink the whole established processes and practices.  The AMB has re-engineered its processes based
on new paradigms such as new supply system, new criteria for the registration,
direct supply to hypermarkets/supermarkets, retail shops and online home
delivery platforms, he pointed out.

He further added that with the opening of new AMB retail outlets
across the island in the coming days, which is on or about the 15^th
of May, further re-engineered processes will be adopted such as cashless system
with a view to ensuring better service to the population. AMB will also be
prospecting supplies via the Ministry to direct negotiations with friendly
countries, he concluded.

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