Effets d’un changement institutionnel, la réforme du protocole sucre (ACP-UE), sur la filière légumes frais à l’île Maurice

This paper investigates the strategies adopted by economic actors in the context of an institutional change. We base ourselves on data collected as part of an exploratory study in the sugar and fresh vegetable supply chains in Mauritius. The reform of the sugar protocol between the European Union and the ACP countries has given rise to two major consequences in the Mauritian agricultural sector. Firstly it has caused an institutional change in the sugar supply chain resulting in large sugar producers diversifying into other more remunerative economic sectors. We refer to research by North to analyse the indirect effects of the reform of the sugar protocol on another supply chain, the fresh vegetables supply chain. The second consequence refers to a second institutional change caused by the entry of large sugar cane producers on the fresh vegetable market. We refer to the theory on collective strategy to analyse whether it is an appropriate strategy for traditional vegetable producers to be more competitive. We conclude by saying that this exploratory study has allowed us to better understand the effects of the reform of the sugar protocol on the fresh vegetables supply chain. Incentives from public policies, entry of large sugar cane producers on the market, emergence of institutional entrepreneurs both among traditional actors of the supply chain and new entrants can lead to a deinstitutionalisation of the vegetable supply chain and eventually giving rise to new institutions with new rules of the game.