The Mauritius Central Wholesale Market will be completed by June 2019, according to information provided by the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr. Mahen Kumar Seeuttun. The Minister additionally stated that the tenders for design, construction and supervision had already been launched and awarded and that the one pertaining the construction works will be launched next October, with works anticipated to run for eighteen months.

The Mauritian government expects the market to generate an annual income of around $640,000 with implementation costs getting to more than $10 million. However, as supported by the Minister, the new infrastructure will provide adequate wholesale and auction facilities and enable a better access to markets by wholesalers from across the country. Currently, 60% of nationally-produced vegetable and fruits are sold via three regional auction markets with producers getting 30%-40% of the retail price of the produce. The new Central Wholesale Market will be able to increase these margins, not only through the infrastructure itself but also due to the fairer and more transparent price setting mechanisms that it will enable.

The market will moreover ease the application of all relevant agricultural and food security legislation and support all relevant procurement and marketing networks for the wholesale activity.