EXTENDED ABSTRACT
A CHARACTERISATION OF THE FOOD PROCESSING SECTOR IN
RODRIGUES
*DAYA GOBURDHUN, KAMLESH BOODHOO AND
ARVIND RUGGOO,
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE, UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS, REDUIT
*Speaker: daya@uom.ac.mu
Paper type: Oral Paper
Introduction
Rodrigues has an established reputation for its traditional agro-processed products and
the agro-processing sector is viewed as an important sector for the Rodriguan economy as
it contributes to employment creation and has linkages with the economy, especially the
agricultural and fisheries sectors. Although the sector is gaining prominence in the
economy of Rodrigues, it is felt that there is still limited amount of information and data
on the sector as such to devise appropriate development packages. In this context, a study
was undertaken with the following main objectives:
1
To map out the characteristics of the Rodriguan small-scale agro-processing
sector in terms of types of products, level of technology and manufacturing
practices
2
To examine the practices related to product quality and safety
3
To establish the marketing strategies in place
4
To identify the current status of the training policies and awareness of the
agroprocessors’ on support services for the sector
Methodology
An island wide survey of 119 agro-processors who produce various kinds of animal and
plant based agro-processed products was conducted. Data was collected through a
questionnaire which consisted of several sections dealing with the main types of products
produced, source of raw materials, manufacturing practices, packaging, product quality
and safety, labelling of finished products, marketing strategy, training, awareness of the
support services and suggestions to improve sector.
A special data entry program was designed and data read into SPSS version 13.0 for
analysis. Appropriate tabulations and statistical analysis were then performed using the
statistical software.
Key Findings
The small agro-processing sector is mainly dominated by women (91 %). The major raw
materials used are lime (65 %), chilli (55 %), octopus (47 %) and pork (11 %). The
products mainly produced and most demanded are ‘sweet and sour lime’, chilli/lime
pickled in vinegar and processed octopus products.
Most of the products require low cost technology and few specific ingredients.
Manufacturing is usually done in the processors’ kitchen (84 %). Lack of appropriate
equipment for large scale production and insufficient raw materials were identified as
factors that limit their production capacity. Although the majority of agro-processors
stated hygiene as the main precautions they take to ensure quality and safety of their
products, most of the products are not produced under the hygienic conditions as
stipulated in the Food Act (1998). About 98 % are aware about the concept of shelf-life
of a product, however in most cases, shelf –life is not determined scientifically.
Inadequate control during manufacturing practices also leads to inconsistent products on
the market. Poor labelling, especially the absence of date marking and in some cases
packaging in inappropriate containers, project a negative image of the sector.
The agro-processors have recourse to multiple outlets for sale of their products, the most
important one being direct sale to the consumers (69 %) either along the roadsides or
stalls at the Port Mathurin market. However, the marketing and distribution systems,
including product promotion and market information systems of the Rodriguan produce,
are not properly organized. The enterprises do not have sufficient knowledge of existing
and potential market opportunities in the region. There is also inadequate trade
information for those entrepreneurs who wish to expand and export.
Most of the entrepreneurs do not have a proper record keeping system such as financial
records, production records and sale records and they do not estimate their cost of
production. Three out of four agro-processors fix their selling price by imposing a markup onto the production cost, while some 20.4% use the prevailing market prices. The cost
of production is generally roughly calculated taking into account the cost of ingredients,
packaging, labels, the time put in and transportation. Only 1 out of 2 agro-processors
advertises their products, mainly in the form of words of mouth (90.7%). 68.1% of
respondents have followed a training programme and 80% of those are of the view that
the training has been beneficial. There exists a high demand for training within the sector
overall, with the majority of agro-processors expressing the desire to follow a course in
food production/preservation techniques (95%), packaging (82.4%), labelling (71.4%),
hygiene/food safety/ quality (78.2%), entrepreneurial/business management (71.4%) and
sales/marketing (60.5%).
There are a number of support institutions and government supported and international
agencies that provide technical information, financial and training assistance. NHPA and
SMIDO (now SEHDA) are the most widely known ones by the agro-processors. None of
the support institutions provide exclusive service to the agro-processing sector. The major
service requested but not sufficiently provided by most of the service providers is
financial assistance. There seems to be no proper coordination of responsibilities as there
are too many agencies sharing the same tasks.
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