Towards Energy and Food Security: A Comprehensive Budget Proposal for Mauritius
Development
By Dr Michael Atchia
In a world where the control over commodity supplies and their prices often lies beyond the grasp of smaller nations, Mauritius faces the challenge of balancing its reliance on imported goods with the imperative of self-sufficiency. Dr. Michael Atchia, drawing upon his expertise as a Past Programme Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and his role as a Member of Democracy Watch Mauritius, presents a comprehensive budget proposal aimed at steering Mauritius towards energy and food security.
As a small country, we have limited control over world commodity supplies and their prices. We must either buy or go without, and if possible, produce it ourselves by acquiring the necessary technology, tools, and raw materials.
Let’s consider the issue of petrol prices. People often protest when they don’t understand the situation and are unaware of potential solutions. With our extensive land, lagoons, and the open seas (our 1 million sq. km of Mauritian EEZ), we can enhance food security, especially for basics like rice, flour, dairy produce, meat, fruit, and medical products. Additionally, achieving full energy self-sufficiency is within reach, increasing local food production from the current 20% to 60-80% within the next 10 years. Collaboration between the government, private sector, and citizens is crucial to attaining energy and food self-sufficiency.
Regarding petrol prices, since we import 100% of the petrol we use, we are entirely dependent on suppliers in Asia and the Middle East. The price of fossil fuels is expected to rise until 2050, and eventually, it will become unavailable to small buyers like us when petrol, a non-renewable resource, runs out. To address this, we propose setting up a fleet of electric vehicles powered by solar energy-driven stations, ensuring independence from imported petrol and diesel. For cooking gas, which we entirely import, we can locally produce gas from biofuels, following examples set by several countries, including China.
In the past, I have proposed plans to make us largely independent of fossil fuels, and in 2023, Finance Minister Padayachy took a positive step by encouraging the import of electric and hybrid vehicles with duty-free importation and a Rs 200,000 subvention per vehicle. Today, various reliable electric vehicle manufacturers are available.
Without addressing fuel dependency and electric power cuts (a significant portion of our electricity is generated by fuel generators), we risk disruptions in transport, work, schooling, food supplies, emergency services, police, fire, flights, port activities, and more. A well-thought-out plan is essential to avoid such disasters.
The future objective remains making Mauritius independent of imported petrol by turning to alternative technologies like electric vehicles and hydrogen, which are still in development. A fleet of electric vehicles and an extended metro throughout Mauritius will ensure mobility when petrol becomes too expensive or unavailable.
We propose imposing solar panels, batteries, and charging booths for electric vehicles at all filling stations, free of charge or at minimal cost. Additionally, promoting the technology to convert petrol vehicles into hybrid/electric ones is crucial. All duty-free vehicles authorized for civil servants should be electric cars.
Considering global trends, we suggest increasing custom duties on petrol and diesel vehicles by 20%, then 50% in 2024, with advanced notice to importers about further increases in upcoming budgets, and a defined deadline for a complete ban. Societal changes, such as reducing travel through workplace and schooling reorganization and encouraging walking or cycling, should also be implemented.
In the realm of energy production, we call for major incentives and grants to expedite the transition to large-scale renewable energy, combining solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. The latest IPCC report emphasizes the urgency of combatting climate change, and as petrol vehicles contribute significantly to carbon emissions, the replacement of petrol vehicles with electric ones is a key action.
Dr Michael Atchia is a Past Programme Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Member, Democracy Watch Mauritius
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 15 March 2024
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