The Chamber said it now expects production of 324,000 tonnes this year, down 1.8 percent from its 330,000 tonne forecast in September, which was also a reduction.
“A water shortage over the island during recent months has impacted negatively on the growth of the sugar cane plant,” the chamber said in a statement. Three quarters of the surface under sugar cane cultivation has already been harvested the chamber said, adding the crop harvesting season will end by mid-December. Sugar farming contributes about 1 percent of the Indian Ocean island nation’s $13 billion annual economic output.
Once focused on sugar and textiles, Mauritius has diversified into tourism, offshore banking and business outsourcing to cement its reputation as one of Africa’s most stable and prosperous economies. (Reporting by Jean Paul Arouff Editing by Alexander Smith)