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Mauritians on the Move, American Style

U.S.-Mauritius relations continue to focus on trade

Mauritian food companies prepare to export

Mauritian companies that exhibited products at New York's Fancy Food Show in July are making progress in what can be a complicated process to export their goods to the United States.

The companies say that they are excited about the prospect of selling their foods for the first time in America. But fulfilling requirements of U.S. trade regulations is time-consuming and tedious, as foreign firms must comply with a fairly large number of legislative and administrative requirements when shipping goods into the United States.

For example, all food products sold in the United States must disclose information about nutritional values (such as fiber, protein, cholesterol, sugar and salt content), calories and vitamin content. This must be clearly written on the product's package. Food products must also meet strict regulations on processing and sanitation.

Conserverie Sarjua is currently redesigning the packaging of its herbal tea, including addition of nutritional information, so that it meets requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to Raksha Sarjua, manager. This is being done with the help of a U.S. consultant. Sarjua will be selling its betel herbal teas in the United States through Springwell International, an importing company based in New Jersey. Springwell hopes that the medicinal advantages of the betel leaves - to address cough and digestion problems - will entice health-conscious Americans to buy the tea.

Cie Agricole de Laboudonnais, producers of fruit pastes, jams and other products, continues to finalize the details of the contract with its U.S. distributor, SunRich International of Chicago. Several U.S. food stores expressed interest in buying Labourdonnais products at the New York Food Show. "Nothing concrete yet, but it's coming," said Réaz Gunga, processing manager, who attended the New York Show. He expects that the contract will be finalized and trade will begin early next year.

Marlin Exports Ltd. is in serious discussion with one potential U.S. customer who wants to sell smoked marlin in the United States, said Alain Lenoir. "As this product is new to the United States, the customer would like to import only a few hundred pounds to start and see the reaction of his customers before buying on a regular basis," Lenoir wrote in an email correspondence with Weekend. "But unfortunately, this needs to be sent by air, so the price is rather expensive" when compared to travel by ship container.

Lenoir said it's always difficult, given the distance, to continue a close contact with potential U.S. buyers after the conclusion of food shows. It would be helpful to have someone in the United States who could follow up directly with potential clients and offer product samples, he added. "You just need that little push to speed up the first order."

But Lenoir is confident that "we will be able to export to the United States in the very near future."

The New York Fancy Food Show was the first time that Mauritian food companies participated in a U.S. food show with the goal of breaking into the American market. Five companies made the trip to New York to meet U.S. buyers.

"Given that it was our first participation, it is always a test case and we have learned in terms of enhancing the brand image of Mauritius for future events so that we have a sustained export development strategy to the United States," Arun Ramduny, manager, Enterprise Mauritius, said in an email correspondence.

The U.S. government, which sponsored participation of U.S. companies in New York, says it will do the same again next year. "We are planning another Africa Pavilion at next year's show and will hope to support Mauritian companies," said Amanda Hilligas, of the USAID's Trade Hub, based in Botswana. "I think the event was incredibly successfully, because some of the companies have signed business deals - which is exactly what we want them to do."

"The biggest challenge," she added, "is finding the right importer and then distributor and then after that, meeting all the U.S. requirements, such as product liability insurance, labeling, etc. But the key challenge it to find the right niche buyer for the right product."

Hilligas, who helped organize the Africa Pavilion in New York, said that a U.S. film company will come to Mauritius in October to feature Fleur de Sel and Labourdonanis production processes in a new documentary film. The film will be shown later this year on two U.S. networks, and then will be distributed worldwide. It is estimated that 220 million people might view it.

"This will be a great way to feature Mauritius to a broad audience," she said.

Business summit set for S. Africa in November

Several Mauritian companies will participate in the U.S.-Africa Business Summit from Nov. 14-16 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Corporate Council on Africa, the leading U.S. private sector trade association that promotes trade and investment with Africa, is sponsoring the summit with the goal of expanding U.S. trade on the continent.

About 1,500 business executives and government leaders from the United States and Africa are expected to attend the summit, which is organized every two years. This year's session will be the first held in Africa. South African President Thabo Mbeki will be the keynote speaker.

CAA has asked the African Coalition for Trade, the sister organization of the Mauritius-U.S. Business Association, to organize a workshop on opportunities and challenges facing the African apparel and textile industries. A panel of U.S. apparel buyers and retailers, African apparel producers and apparel trade experts will speak.

The Mauritius Bureau of Investment is sponsoring a workshop on investing in Mauritius. Finance Minister Rama Sithanen will speak. Officials will announce formation of a new U.S.-Mauritius Private Sector Working Group that will support implementation of the U.S.-Mauritius Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) that aims to expand investment and trade opportunities between the two countries.

Also at the summit, a Trade and Investment Expo is being organized, modeled after the successful Expo held at the 2003 AGOA Forum held in Mauritius. Conferences and Speakers International, Ltd. (CSI), a Mauritian firm headed by Didier de Senneville, will organize the Expo, as it did in 2003.

After the summit, a group of summit participants will go on to Mauritius, where they will spend three days visiting factories and meeting with Mauritian business leaders.

African imports to U.S. rise, but imports from Mauritius drop

Following two years of extended declines, textile and apparel imports from Africa continue on an upward swing.

The U.S. Commerce Department's textile and apparel import data from January-June 2007 show a 4.12 percent increase increased over the same period in 2006 - but still down 13 percent compared to the same period in 2005, which was the peak of U.S. imports.

African trade took a sharp decline immediately following the expiration of the Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) system of quotas in January 2005.

"The new data for January-June 2007 is hopefully confirmation that African textile and apparel exports have finally turned the corner and are no recovering," said the Mauritius-U.S. Business Association. "if the increase becomes an ongoing trend, at least some of the credit can be attributed to Congress' renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act's (AGOA) third-country fabric provision in the trade package enacted in December."

The import growth was limited to four countries - Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi and Swaziland - and was not shared among all countries participating in AGOA.

Imports from these countries were actually down 13 percent during this period. "A disproportionate share of these losses has been suffered by Mauritius and South Africa, whose textile and apparel exports to the United States during 2005-2006 are down 53 percent."

Dulloo heads to United States

Manan Dulloo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be in the United States from Sept. 24-Oct. 2. He will stop first in New York City for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly, then move on to Washington, D.C.

In Washington, Dulloo will have meetings with U.S. officials, including U.S. Trade Representative Susan Swab, to discuss various Mauritius-U.S. trade issues. On the agenda will be how to build on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) signed last year between the United States and Mauritius. He will also meet with members of the U.S. Congress and their staffs to discuss how to make the African Growth and Opportunity Act (ACT) more effective and useful to African countries. He will also exchange views on how to best put into play the Aid for Trade concept.

Mauritians in U.S., Canada prepare for Monsignor Piat's visit

Monsignor Maurice Piat is planning his second pastoral visit to North American in October, making stops in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver, Canada, before coming to Washington , D.C.

From Sept 27-Oct. 19, he plans to meet with the Mauritian community in all these cities to thank them for their generous support of several elementary school improvement projects in needy towns in Mauritius.

The Mauritian communities in each of these cities has been busy organizing religious retreats, lunches and fundraisers.

The purpose of his visit is to celebrate 25 years of Trait d'Union Canada-Maurice, an organization of Canadian-Mauritians who support school projects in Mauritius, and to reconnect with the Mauritian expatriate community. His last visit to North America was in 1999.

In Washington, D.C., Suzanne Kon Kam King, head of the U.S. Trait d'Union group, is planning a series of events with her organizing committee. On the agenda will be meetings between Mgr. Piat and two Catholic archbishops who serve the Washington area, and a reception/fundraiser with the Mauritian community. Funds from that event will help pay for repairs to the Olivia RCA Primary School in Bel Air.

The Washington group has also financed repairs to the Queen Victoria RCA School and the Notre Dame de la Confiance School in Curepipe and the Notre Dame des Anges in Mahebourg. Last year, in partnership with Entraide Scolaire of St. Mal (Baie du Tombeau), funds were raised to help students pay for their Senior Cambridge/High School Certificate examination fees.

Contributions for the Olivia RCA Primary School project can be made by contacting Suzanne at: Skonkamking@worldbank.org

Mauritian vanilla, tuna and tea

The Mauritius Embassy in Washington will showcase an array of Mauritian products at the annual Maryland Embassy Day on Oct. 4. The event, now in it's 19th year, offers Maryland companies the chance to make contacts with potential global business partners. The products will be provided by Mauritius Duty Free Paradise Co. Ltd and will include soft toys, fruit pastes, vanilla sticks, tea, sugar, banana chips, tuna and shirts

a m e r i c a n   s c e n e

WEEK-END --- dimanche 23 septembre 2007