The Authority has such functions as are necessary to further its objectives most effectively and may, in particular:
(a) set up and manage such agricultural or other centres as the Minister may determine;
(b) hire the agricultural machinery of the Authority to such persons and on such terms and conditions as the Board may determine;
(c) provide technical advice, assistance and training to planters on cane cultivation, harvesting and transport of canes and post-harvest operations;
(d) manage agricultural land and, in particular, abandoned fields in Sugarcane Planters Regrouping Project (SPRP) or such other similar projects;
(e) enter into management contracts on behalf of planters;
(f) devise agricultural credit schemes in consultation with financing agencies;
(g) ensure that arrangements are made so that canes of small planters are harvested at their optimal sucrose content;
(h) assist cooperative societies in benefiting from the Fair Trade Initiative or such other similar projects;
(i) provide, operate and maintain facilities for the storage, sampling, bagging, packing, loading and unloading of sugar or such co-product or other commodity as the Minister may approve;
(j) set up a planters’ data bank;
(k) commission studies and consultancies in respect of any specific or general issue affecting the cane industry;
(l) review, on a regular basis, the economic and financial performance as well as the problems and prospects of the cane industry;
(m) periodically commission a revaluation of the fixed assets of the cane industry;
(n) commission long-term master plans for the viability and sustainability of the cane cluster, with due regard to the interests of all parties concerned;
(o) make recommendations to the Mauritius Revenue Authority regarding a rational and uniform system of granting capital allowances, including allowances in respect of equipment depreciation, in relation to the cane industry;
(p) as and when appropriate, examine the accounts of millers and planters and offer advice on the forms to be used in connection with the presentation of those accounts;
(q) collect contribution from the sale of sugar on the local market for the purposes of compensation under section 46 (2) (k) of the MCIA Act;
(r) advise the Minister on:
(i) the formulation and management of policies, strategies and schemes in relation to the cane industry;
(ii) the provision of adequate means of inland access or, after consultation with the Mauritius Ports Authority, sea access, to the sugar terminal;
(iii) the transport of sugar to and from the sugar terminal;
(iv) all measures necessary to ensure the viability of the cane industry;
By virtue of the SIE (Amendment) Act 2016, the following functions have been added:
(ra) manage, for the purpose of fostering the production of sugar cane and bagasse, the Sugar Cane Sustainability Fund set up under the Sugar Industry Efficiency Act;
(rb) keep and maintain, for the purpose of sugar reform under the Sugar Industry Efficiency Act, a land conversion right (LCR) register;
(rc) promote the production of energy from biomass generated by the sugar cane industry, develop and monitor the Renewable Sugar Cane Industry Based Biomass Framework specified in the Sugar Industry Efficiency Act;
(rd) determine, under the Sugar Industry Efficiency Act, the sale price of molasses to distillers producing ethanol for blending or export or potable alcohol for export;
(re) establish, under the Sugar Industry Efficiency Act, the Joint Molasses Allocation Committee for the allocation of molasses between distilleries;
(rf) promote the Sugar-Based Agro-Industry and to generate sugar through the use of local raw materials, develop and monitor the Sugar Based Agro-industry Framework referred to in the Sugar Industry Efficiency Act;
(rg) provide value addition from ethanol obtained from molasses or from other raw material obtained from sugar cane, develop and monitor the Ethanol and Molasses Framework referred to in the Sugar Industry Efficiency Act.
For the purposes of Section (i) regarding the functions of MCIA, the facilities to be provided by the Authority shall include:
(a) loading and unloading quays;
(b) buildings, sheds and other structures; and
(c) plant, machinery and equipment.