research except in very narrowly defined areas; even then the meagre rsources dictate that it should rather go Into research of an appl led nature most relevant to Its Immediate needs. The economy Is one based mainly on the sugar cane, with a move towards industrial lsatlon promoted by export processing zones to attract overseas investors and create employment so sorely needed. S&T INFRASTRUCTURE To teed appropriately-trained manpower into the above sectors the University of Mauritius was created In 1968 with three Schools intended to cater for the more important fields of Agri­ culture. Industrial Technology and Admlnsltratlon. This m~jor Institution for Science and Technology (S&T> has stemmed from a previous Col lege of Agriculture which used to form technicians for the mother {sugar) Industry of the Island, agriculture gene­ rally and, to a lesser extent, In management. The College used to form part of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA> where research activities In crop and anl•al production are still an ongoing concern; the reason Is clearly to strive In making the country independent In so far as food products are Involved. Food Imports eat up a large proportion of hard-earned foreign currency acquired essentially through tourism, exports of sugar and Its by-products, and some manufactured products besides certain other goods and services. Since Industrial lsa­ tlon always Implies energy. the Import of fossil fuel accounts for an even greater proportion of o¥erseas earnings than food matters would hav~been far worse had the sugar manufacturing not been a net exporter of energy. Presented by Francois Georges Carver * This GNP per capita has effectively gone down with the soartng of the dollar between the tl•e the paper was first prepared and the tt•e of Its presentation. The third maJor S&T Institution of the Island Is the Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute CMSIRI) which Is 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the economic development of Mauritius, highlighting the importance of the sugar cane industry and the need to diversify the economy. It also mentions the role of science and technology in supporting industrialization and employment. The text touches on natural resources, specifically fossil fuel imports, and international trade, as it discusses the impact of food imports on the country's foreign currency earnings.

**Category**
Economic development, Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Science and technology