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BACKGROUND
In Mauritius, sugar cane cultivation is undertaken by three categories of growers, namely, the millerplanters, the large-planters and the small-planters. The miller-planters who constitute the corporate sector of the industry, cultivate about 55% of the total area under cane (about 40 000 ha) and the size of their farms varies between 750 and 5200 ha. They produce nearly 60% of total sugar output of the island. The large-planters are those who by definition, own plots which are over 42 ha in size. They harvest some 12 000 ha of sugar cane each year. The small-planter group consists of around 33 000 individuals who on aggregate, cultivate about 25 000 ha. The majority of them have fields which are less than 0.5 ha. They are mostly part-time farmers who are also employed in other sectors of the economy. Hence, revenue from sugar supplements their household budget. The annual sugar production of the island which on average was about 519 000 t in the 1950s jumped to 616 000 t in the 1980s. This remarkable achievement is undeniably due to intense efforts made by research in areas pertaining principally to breeding, physiology, plant nutrition and protection. However, the productivity increase at field level has not been of the same order of magnitude for each producer group. Over the period referred to, the average yields of miller-planters increased from 75 to 80 t ha-1 and those of small-planters moved from 48 to 62 t ha-1, with the result that the productivity of the latter group has continued to lag behind that of the corporate sector. The persistence of this yield gap has been a growing source of concern for national planners, the sugar industry and research scientists.
AMAS 1997. Food and Agricultural Research Council, Rduit, Mauritius 35
A review of socio-economic studies undertaken to improve the productivity .of small sugar cane planters V Toory and J A Tonta
It is rightly believed that by increasing the productivity of the small-planter sector to levels comparable to those of the corporate sector, the national sugar production can be greatly increased, therefore bringing additional income for the country. Furthermore, as small-planters are more vulnerable to changes in economic and environmental conditions, there exists the danger that if proper measures are not undertaken in the medium- to long-term, they will gradually disappear and this may eventually lead to serious social and economic difficulties.
ACHIEVEMENTS
In the last 15 years, six projects have been undertaken. The approach adopted for the conduct of these studies was either partially or totally based on the Farming Systems Research procedures which in essence consist, firstly, of surveys to identify problems which may be of physical, biological and socioeconomic nature and secondly, of on-farm experimentation to test the validity of suggested solutions. In the sections that follow, each of these projects is briefly discussed. Emphasis is also laid on feedback on the needs of clients and on issues identified in these studies which require the attention of agricultural scientists.
A review of socio-economic studies undertaken to improve the productivity .of small sugar cane planters V Toory and J A Tonta
A review of socio-economic studies undertaken to improve the productivity .of small sugar cane planters V Toory and J A Tonta
A review of socio-economic studies undertaken to improve the productivity .of small sugar cane planters V Toory and J A Tonta
It is expected that the findings of the study will serve as a guideline to decision-makers in formulating future development strategies and will also provide organisational and management guidelines for planters who would like to create their own groupings under their specific circumstances.
DISCUSSION
During the last decade, there has been consensus among policy-makers and researchers that in addition to traditional technology generation and adaptation by research (e.g. high yielding varieties, improved cultural practices, etc.), the strengthening of the existing research-extension linkage would be a major key to the improvement of the productivity of small-sugar cane planters in Mauritius. The development of a more efficient research-extension network, initially requires, among other things, a thorough understanding of the physical, biological and socio-economic conditions under which the planter operates (the identification process). In that respect, several projects have been implemented by the MSIRI; the discussion that follows analyses their contribution towards the objectives set and the future scope for socio-economic research.
A review of socio-economic studies undertaken to improve the productivity .of small sugar cane planters V Toory and J A Tonta
Productivity improvement
In most projects, the emphasis was not directly on productivity improvement. It is only in the Souvenir drip irrigation pilot project, where research was deeply involved in the introduction of the new technology, that measurements related to changes in yields achievable were monitored until project completion. However, these data do not provide sufficient indication for ascertaining the sustainability aspect of productivity improvements resulting from induced changes in the farming system. In general, productivity improvement is a long-term process as sugar cane has a long crop cycle and changes in its management may imply considerable social and agronomic problems. Significant results may not be obtained in the short-term. Given the paucity of information on the small- sugar cane planters operating in the country, it is not possible for the time being to comment on any changes that might have been brought about with the incorporation of the social sciences in the local sugar cane research programme. It is strongly felt that both research and other institutions servicing planters should join their efforts in developing a database which would capture the desired information.
A review of socio-economic studies undertaken to improve the productivity .of small sugar cane planters V Toory and J A Tonta
CONCLUSION
Socio-economic research was included in the R&D programme of the MSIRI with the major objective of improving the productivity of small sugar cane planters. The studies undertaken so far have covered the identification of small- planters characteristics and their technical and socio-economic constraints to higher productivity. Findings from these projects, have in one way or another helped in strengthening the research-extension linkage. They have also shed light on the future orientation of socio-economic research at institutional level.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to thank the Director of the MSIRI for giving them the opportunity to present this paper.
REFERENCES
BATCHELOR CH and SOOPRAMANIEN GC eds. 1993 . Drip irrigation research. Final report of the Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute and the Institute of Hydrology Drip irrigation research project. Reduit : Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute and UK: Institute of Hydrology, 36 p. BERTHELOT PB and PILLAY KP. 1988 . Small planter studies : Souvenir Farming Systems Research Project . A report on Phase 1. MSIRI Occasional Report No. 2 . Reduit : Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, 29 p. DOYLE P. 1991 . A report on the socio-economics of drip irrigation in the Mauritian sugar sector. Reduit : Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, 55 p. (Internal Report). JULIEN R, DARIFAT P, NOEL A, ROY M, RUHEE H, TYACK JC and DEVILLE J. 1995. Report of the Task Force on supplying the European Union cane sugar refiners deficit. 19 p. ( Unpublished ). LUTCHMEENARAIDOO K, NARAIN TM, BRUNET LR and ZMANAY D. 1973 . Survey of sugar cane planters and their production pattern. Mauritius : Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 97 p. ( Technical Report of a Committee appointed in 1972 to conduct a survey among planters of sugar cane cultivating less than 100 arpents.) MSIRI see under Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute MAURITIUS SUGAR INDUSTRY RESEARCH INSTITUTE . 1990 . The small cane planter and the labour shortage and transport problems. A report on surveys carried out in four factory areas by the MSIRI in collaboration with the Farmers Service Corporation. MSIRI Occasional. Report No. 5 . Reduit: Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, 17 p. MAURITIUS SUGAR INDUSTRY RESEARCH INSTITUTE. 1994 . A socio-economic study of small sugar cane planters in Mauritius. A report on surveys carried out in four factory areas by the MSIRI and the Farmers Service Corporation. MSIRI Occasional. Report No. 7. Reduit: Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, 39 p.
A review of socio-economic studies undertaken to improve the productivity .of small sugar cane planters V Toory and J A Tonta
MAURITIUS SUGAR INDUSTRY RESEARCH INSTITUTE. 1996a . Rehabilitation of abandoned cane lands. A Report on a survey carried out in various factory areas in collaboration with the Farmers Service Corporation and Planters Advisers on sugar estates. MSIRI Occasional Report No. 10 . Reduit : Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, 59 p. MAURITIUS SUGAR INDUSTRY RESEARCH INSTITUTE. 1996b . Small- Planters Desk Planters Info Sheet No. 1, Nov. 1996. Reduit : Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, 1p. RICAUD C. 1990 . MSIRIs Contribution to improve the efficiency of small-planters. Reduit : Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, 7 p. (Internal Report) TONTA JA and TOORY V. 1995 . Souvenir Farming Systems Research Project : Report on Phase 2. MSIRI Occasional Report No. 8 . Reduit : Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, 55 p. TONTA JA, TOORY V, PILLAY KP, AUTREY LJC, JEEHA L, SONIAH RK, OOGARAH P, MAYER P and DARGENT G. 1997 . Economics of grouping planters into Land Area Management Units (LAMUs). Phase 1 : Review of services offered to planters. MSIRI Occasional Report No. 13. Reduit : Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, 35 p.
COMMENTS
Remark -The Farmers Service Corporation took an active part in the conduct of surveys and this shows good collaboration between research and extension. Q. A. In your future scope, you did not take into consideration, derocking and irrigation? In terms of economic appraisal, it comes under resource-economics rather than socioeconomics and we have considered only socio-economic issues in this study.