During the monitoring period from January to April 2021, the planting of new sugar cane was completed and stalk elongation in ratoon cane was ongoing.  Maize seeds were sown after heavy rains received in March and April and the potato planting season started from late April. In a cumulative way, crop conditions in Mauritius were slightly below average based on the agroclimatic and agronomic indicators.

At the national level, total precipitation was significantly under average (RAIN, -34%), whereas temperature and radiation exceeded average (TEMP +0.5°C; RADPAR +1%). As revealed by Fig. 3.13(c), the first 10 days of January 2021 received around 40% less rain compared to the 15YA, even if rainfall received around mid-January was close to the season’s average. February 2021 was also a very dry month. According to the Monthly Climate Bulletin of the Mauritius Meteorological Services, the month of February 2021 received an average of 151 mm rainfall which represented only 44% of the amount of rain normally received for this month. The dry spell continued in March with again less rain received compared to March 2020 and the 15YA. The pattern however changed during the month of April, with heavy rains and flash floods. Amount of rainfall received in April 2021 exceeded the season’s average and approached the maximum values of the 15 years. As per reports published by the Mauritius Meteorological Services, mean rainfall recorded in April 2021 over the island was 490 mm when the average for the month of April in Mauritius is only 200 mm. This represents a 145% increase of normal monthly rainfall, resulting in water accumulation and flooding in numerous places. Moreover, the temperature profile for the monitoring period was slightly above the normal values recorded for the season with an anomaly of +0.5oC from the 15YA as seen in Fig. 3.13(b), and the amount of radiation received during the first four months of 2021 was also slightly higher than the 15YA with a positive departure of 1%. 

A high maximum VCI of 0.94 was observed, which was very favourable for crop growth and development, even if the NDVI was lower than the 15YA in January (Fig. 3.13(d)). The lower NDVI was due to prevailing drought conditions in January and the opposite situation in April induced by flash floods that affected vegetable plantations causing crop loss. This is illustrated by negative NDVI departures of up to 0.25 recorded in scattered areas shown in Fig. 3.13(e) and approximately 10% below-average conditions for crop development throughout the reporting period, as seen in Fig. 3.13(f).  However, the April rains enabled sugarcane plantations to overcome water shortage suffered during previous months. Thus, the slightly higher-than-average temperature and radiation values recorded earlier during the year, along with the precipitation received during April, favoured sugar cane stalk elongation and sucrose accumulation. This situation is illustrated in Fig. 3.3(f) where at least 55% crops cultivated during the first quarter of 2021 benefitted from the average to above-average agroclimatic conditions.

Overall, although the erratic weather conditions that prevailed during the first four months of 2021 were not conducive for vegetable crop production, sugar cane growth and development was less hampered. Moreover, the abundant rainfall received in April will be beneficial for rainfed vegetable plantations. Prospects for vegetable and sugar cane production for the next quarter are generally favourable.

Figure 3.13. Mauritius's crop condition, January 2021-April 2021 

a. Crop phenology of selected crops

b. Time series temperature porfile

c. Time series rainfall porfile

d. Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

e. Maximum VCI

f. Proportion of NDVI anomaly categories compared with 5YA from January - April 2021

Table 3.13  Mauritius agro-climatic , current season's values and departure from 15YA, January 2021 to April 2021

Table 3.14  Mauritius agronomic indicators , current season's values and departure from 5YA, January 2021 to April 2021