Tomato prices in Mauritius are soaring, reaching €1.06 to €1.86/ kilo. This sudden increase is due to rain, the mosaic virus and the coming of tropical storm, Bansi, which will only accentuate the crisis.
Mauritius’ Tamil population can only eat fruit and vegetables over the fast. Fresh tomatoes figure in many recipes, as they do on neighbouring island, La Reunion. When prices increase so heavily, households turn to canned tomatoes which remain affordable year round, but this saddens foodies as they don’t have the same flavour…
Mauritian vegetable sellers will find it hard to restock tomatoes. Before being alerted about the tropical storm, they were already faced with rain and wind effecting crops, as well as the mosaic virus. This virus reduces fruit production by 50%. When the disease first occurred in La Reunion, tomato producers were forced to stop growing for four years.