Ukshay Vennkataswami : giving agriculture a new lease of life 

Proactive, diligent and versatile, Ukshay Vennkataswami is a young man that Mauritius needs. He represents the bright future of our small island. Intelligent and dynamic, he has the potential to bring changes in the biosciences and agricultural sector. He is a young professional who knows how to bring a smile on small planters’ faces. 

A resident of Caroline, Bel Air, a small village in the district of Flacq, Ukshay Vennkataswami has always been passionate about biosciences and technology. Currently, the young man is working at Insight Research (part of Dermscan Group), one of the premier CRO in the region. “With a favourable political and legal environment in Mauritius, many cosmetic and pharma companies outsource their clinical trials to Contract Research Organisations (CRO) based in Mauritius. We abide strictly with international regulations and guidelines on clinical trials as well as the local clinical trial act.”  

Along with being an ardent lover of biosciences, the young professional is fond of agriculture. He confides that his family has been involved in farming for decades. Surprisingly enough, he is today one of the youngest active sugarcane planters in the country. “We have been in sugarcane farming and I am one of the youngest active sugarcane planters in Mauritius. I am also the treasury of a small cooperative for small sugar cane planters, the St Pierre Credit Coorperative Society (Fairtrade Certified). As we know, the price of sugar has been at its lowest and it is very difficult for small sugar cane farmers to thrive. Therefore, I always try to implement solutions to help small sugar cane planters with grants from Fairtrade and credit facilities for buying fertilizers and replanting of lands.” 

Youth Engagement in Agriculture 

He believes that one major challenge he has encountered so far is youth engagement in the agricultural sector. He recalls that unfortunately, today, most of the famers in Mauritius are aged above 65. “We need to encourage young people to consider Agriculture as a business. One of my African friends from Botswana, a 25-year-old, a finance graduate, currently manages 700 acres of land on cereal farming. If young Africans are doing it, why is it that our Mauritian youth do not want a career in Agriculture?” he enquiries.

According to him, being a farmer for over five years, he understands the hardships of growing crops to feed a whole population. “Continental Africa is booming and we need more youth in agriculture to produce enough food to support the next generation. Youth engagement in the field of Agriculture is my main project and I met up with a consultant (RMI) from South Africa and we are in the process of defining an action plan.”

He also reveals that he is planning to set up a cross border start-up between African countries and Mauritius. “One of my favorite quotes from Nelson Mandela is: ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done’. We Mauritians tend to rely too much on the authorities to change our lives, whereas we ourselves need to work to bring positive changes in society.” 

He asks the young people who are interested in this field to get in touch with him so as to make things move. 

Mandela Washington Fellowship

His commitment, dedication and will power to bring a change, made him one of the recipients of the Mandela Washington Fellowship 2018. He was blessed to be part of the 700 young African Leaders to be in the United States. Ukshay Vennkataswami was placed at Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey which is USA’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning. “New Jersey is home to the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The professors, Dr Kevin Lyons and Dr Johanna Bernstein had been really great in preparing a fully packed program with field trips and classes. I had the opportunity to visit the Headquarters of Johnson & Johnson and Merck. I also visited AeroFarms in Newark, where they partnered with Dell Computers to be the world’s first large scale automated hydroponics.” 

During this Fellowship, he was able to discover about sustainability in supply chain and supplier diversity. “I have learned a lot about the American culture: From food to buildings, everything is large. The road networks are impressive and I had the chance to visit one of the busiest ports on the East Coast, New York and New Jersey Port. One of the key learnings from the Washington Mandela Fellowship has been the strategic partnerships and collaborations among young African leaders.” 

Career pathway 

After his HSC at the Royal College Curepipe, Ukshay Vennkataswami received a scholarship from the Government of India to study Biochemistry at the University of Delhi and completed a MSc in Biotechnology and Enterprise at the University of Exeter (UK). Since then, he has worked with the Mauritius Research Council on outreach of STEM fields in secondary schools, Forensic Science Lab in research and development and Aspen Global in the Quality Department.