A Century-Old Collective Journey
In 1903, a syrupy idea was born. The sugar producers of Mauritius would be brought together with the aim of marketing and exporting their sugars, a proposal initiated by Mr. Clement Dumat, then President of the Chamber of Agriculture. However, this project was not ripe enough. During the First World War, the British government bought sugar from the colonies, prices were attractive and the need for such a congress was not felt, yet.
After the First World War, planters found themselves in an uneasy position. While sugar was still sold in the United Kingdom, this time competing with sugars from other parts of the world, prices fell. The planters struggled to reduce their prices as competition among them was becoming fierce. In order to avoid this situation, a meeting was held on 25 June 1919 with the planters, under the auspices of the Chamber of Agriculture, whereby the then President Sir Henry Leclezio suggested the gathering of producers.
And this is how the Mauritius Sugar Syndicate was born.