Economy
Rodrigues' economy is above all a subsistence economy, marked by the pluriactivity of its inhabitants, the predominance of the agricultural sector and a chronic trade deficit. Working people represent 61% of the population. 33% of Rodriguans are farmers, stockbreeders, fishermen, and more often than not, all three! The second largest employment sector is services, notably tourism, commerce and finance. Contrary to what one might imagine in such a traditional, Catholic society, women are very active in Rodrigues, accounting for 47% of farmers and stockbreeders, 31% of fishermen (the famous "octopus pickers") and 44% of jobs in trade and tourism..
Main resources
The island has no large companies in the main economic sectors of livestock farming, agriculture and fishing, but a multitude of small family farms.
Livestock farming, largely dominated by cattle and sheep, yields twice as much as crops and occupies ten times as much land. Transhumance takes place between two complementary grazing areas: high altitude pastures in the dry season (September to December) and coastal rangelands in the wet season.
Agriculture is in serious decline, with the percentage of cultivated land decreasing steadily over the last twenty years. In fact, most agricultural terraces are unused. This decline is essentially due to the gradual abandonment of corn cultivation, for many years the main crop. However, Rodrigues still exports this vegetable to Mauritius, as well as tons of onions and garlic. The island is also renowned for its production of limes (lemon) and chillies, and has ambitious plans to switch to organic farming by 2030.
Fishing, which takes place mainly in the lagoon, is doing a little better and, along with tourism, is one of Rodrigues' great hopes. Although exports of salted fish have fallen, they have been boosted by a strong increase in exports of dried octopus. There are four types of fishing on Rodrigues: seining, creel fishing (woven bamboo traps placed in shallow waters), trolling and octopus hunting (carried out by women at low tide using foënes or spikes). Deep-sea fishing is one of the mainstays of the island's economic development.
Local companies and free zone
In recent years, thanks to awareness-raising campaigns and the creation of a fund to help young businesses, Rodrigues has seen the emergence of a number of small craft factories: furniture, handicrafts, ready-to-wear, pastries, silk-screen printing... At the same time, since 2000, the island has been exempt from customs duties to boost trade and tourism.
Growing importance of tourism
This still very recent field of activity took off some forty years ago, thanks to the development of aviation. At that time, the island had only a few small family-run guesthouses, but when Air Mauritius opened the Cotton Bay Hotel in February 1992, it was the starting point for tourism in Rodrigues. Since then, 3 other international-standard hotels have opened their doors: Constance Tekoma, Bakwa Lodge and C Rodrigues Mourouk. A host of inns, rentals and bed & breakfasts have also sprung up.
We're talking here about green tourism, environmental protection, a hotel sector working almost exclusively with local products and Rodriguan labor... In short, Rodriguans don't want Mauritian-style tourism, and want to favor projects on a human scale.
This choice, in line with the expectations of today's travelers, is giving a boost to the island, which has the wind in its sails. While the runway has been lengthened to accommodate international airlines, a new one, largely financed by France, will be built to accommodate Airbus A 320 aircraft. At the same time, several hotel project proposals have been approved by the government. Rodrigues is thus set to increase its hotel capacity, currently estimated at around 1,000 rooms. It remains to be hoped that the island will not lose some of its charm and authenticity, and that the main players in tourism development will continue to protect Rodrigues from any massive construction projects..
Current issues
In the future, the two main challenges for agriculture, livestock breeding and fishing are to halt the hemorrhaging of labor (with young people increasingly turning to less difficult and better-paid professions), and to modernize techniques that are still often archaic, combined with a major training effort. For example, the island has very few facilities for fishing outside the lagoon, for which Rodriguans are not trained. The island's territorial waters are rich in fish, but are currently only fished by foreign boats, particularly from Asia. Development of this sector is considered a priority. Pointe Monier will be developed as a fishing port, and structures will be built to store fresh fish, as well as to process it for export. To encourage the agri-food sector, emphasis will be placed on value-added processing of products such as small peppers, papayas, limes, potatoes, ourites... And particular attention will be paid to water resources and their quality. Only by modernizing its hydraulic systems will Rodrigues be able to achieve its goal of organic farming by 2030. As for tourism, one of the key sectors of Rodrigues' economy, it will benefit from the full attention of the governing bodies: increased communication, the construction of new high-standard structures, the installation of desalination units, etc. The government, led by Franceau Grandcourt, freshly elected at the start of 2024, aims to be ambitious, and will undoubtedly give the necessary impetus to an economy still too dependent on the mother island.
