Agriculture in Seychelles is characterized by small farms with an average size of 0.5 hectares and rarely exceeding 2 hectares, employing various levels of technology and management. Currently about 500 registered farms are dispersed throughout the major granitic islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue and they occupy both the coastal plateau and the slopes of the raised terrain.

The farms span the spectrum of agricultural production. At one extreme there are farms that produce only vegetables solely or in combination with fruits. At the other extreme there are farms that rear only livestock and this would be either pig, broiler chicken or layers or a combination of those. In between these two extremes would be mixed farms i.e. those which keep a combination of livestock and crops. In a general manner, the latter farms represent a more traditional system of farming while the specialized farms have the basis, by virtue of scale of production, to incorporate more advanced farming methods.

Farms can only be registered with the ministry with portfolio responsibility for agriculture if they meet criteria which have been set. Once registered, such farms can access the incentives provided for under the Agriculture and Fisheries Incentives Act. Farms are either on State land or are privately owned. State land for agricultural production is leased to only Seychellois while foreign investors have to source land from the private sector.

Current agricultural production meets about 4% beef, 50% pork, vegetables and fruits, 80% broiler poultry and 100% eggs consumed locally. The cultivation and exploitation of traditional crops like cinnamon and coconuts along with patchouli and vanilla have dropped considerably in the last five years and hence contribute insignificantly to the sector. The sector employs around 3800 persons and it contributes to about 3.8% GDP.

The incentives provided for by the act cited above open up opportunities for investment particularly by Seychellois investors in the production of livestock, fruits and vegetables. Foreign investments in the production of vegetables would be limited to those that minimize competition with local farmers. Foreign investors are particularly encouraged to exploit the traditional plantation crops like cinnamon, patchouli and vanilla to produce value-added products for export to niche markets.

Broad Policy Guidelines

The Seychelles Government elaborates on its position vis-a-vis the national agricultural, artisanal and semi-industrial fisheries development for the next decade through the National Agricultural and Fisheries Policy 2003-2013 framework document. The agricultural sector policy is currently being formulated into a separate framework document from that of the fisheries. It identifies and assesses the constraints that currently impedes agricultural development, proposes new production targets, identifies the stakeholders and makes an inventory of resources that need to be mobilized to achieve those targets along with technical support and services that government would put at the disposal of the food producers.