Agriculture in Seychelles
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (June 2008) |
Seychelles' Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources in 1993 gave up the management of five state-owned farms, which were divided into small plots and leased to individuals.[1] In addition, the agricultural sector consisted of state farms of the Seychelles Agricultural Development Company (Sadeco) and the outer islands managed by the IDC; three other large holdings producing mainly coconuts, cinnamon, and tea; about 250 families engaged in full-time production of foodstuffs; and an estimated 700 families working on a part-time basis. Many households cultivate gardens and raise livestock for home consumption.[1]
The total cultivable area of the islands is only about 400 hectares.[1] Although rainfall is abundant, wet and dry seasons are sharply defined. Better irrigation and drainage systems are needed to improve food crops.[1] The government has taken various measures to reduce dependency on imported foods, including deregulating production and marketing and reducing the trades tax on fertilizers and equipment.[1] As a result, vegetable and fruit production climbed from 505 tons in 1990 to 1,170 tons in 1992.[1] This increase failed to be matched by a commensurate decrease in imports of fruits and vegetables, which reached 3,471 tons in 1992.[1] Local consumption had apparently increased, and substitution between imported and domestic foodstuffs was possible only to a limited degree.[1] In most cases, imported produce is significantly cheaper in spite of air freight, import taxes, and other costs, necessitating a high import markup by the SMB to prevent disruption of domestic production.[1] Neither rice, a dietary staple, nor other grains can be grown on the islands.[1]
The expansion of livestock production is hampered by encroachment of housing and other development on agricultural land as well as by increased labor and animal feed costs.[1] The number of cattle slaughtered in 1992 (329 head) was virtually unchanged from five years earlier.[1] The slaughter of pigs (4,598) was about 45 percent higher than 1987, and chicken production (439,068) had risen by 60 percent.[1]
The two traditional
References
- ^ OCLC 32508646. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.)
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