Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, effected a site visit, yesterday, at three Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) involved in three different sectors of activities, at Mont Ida, Montagne Blanche, and Bel Air. The objective was to take cognizance of the activities being carried out by the enterprises.
The three SMEs are: Kushal Food Ltd which is involved in the manufacturing of food items and is situated in Mont-Ida; Steel Plus Ltd, located at Montagne Blanche, is involved in structural engineering, mechanical engineering and sheet metal fabrication since 2016; and IYR Engineering Works which has been involved in the turning of metalwork since 2018 and operates at La Lucie Roy in Bel Air.
In a statement after the site visits, Minister Bholah highlighted the role of SME Mauritius to develop entrepreneurship at national level and implement advisory and support programmes aimed at improving the competitiveness and resilience of SMEs.
He said that the three SMEs have benefitted from financial assistance in terms of grants, capacity building, and networking opportunities so as to develop inter-SME linkages.
He recalled that SME Mauritius strongly promotes and supports an inclusive SME eco-system that empowers SMEs to emerge and grow to their full potential.
He therefore appealed to those interested to set up an enterprise to take advantage of the different schemes put at the disposal of entrepreneurs. He further lauded SME Mauritius for creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and contributing to the growth of the economy.
The owner of Kushal Food Ltd, Mr Kushal Ramlochun, in a statement, said that his enterprise was set up in 2014. He has manpower of six employees and two drivers.
According to him, the demand for frozen foods is on the rise, especially during the festive season. He said that he delivers his foodstuffs in supermarkets, hypermarkets, and restaurants.
Mr Ramlochun has invested recently in new machinery and a cold room. The enterprise wants to expand its business activities and purchase new machinery to improve efficiency as well as recruit more workers, he said.
He further expressed gratitude to SME Mauritius for the assistance provided in terms of grants for the purchase of equipment, monitoring, and training.
For his part, the Director of Steel Plus Ltd, Mr Vyraj Mungra, pointed out that presently his enterprise, set up in 2016, comprises 22 Mauritian workers.
He stated that his workshop is involved in the production of metal adding that recently they have placed polycarbonate sheet on the staircase metal structure at Rose Hill Metro Station, and manufactured handrails, heavy duty gate, and bollards for Larsen and Toubro.
He also said that his company has greatly benefitted from the support of SME Mauritius such as grants for the purchase of equipment, and management training.
He recalled that his enterprise has benefitted twice from the schemes offered by SME Mauritius, namely the Technology Innovation Schemes for the purchase of equipment to improve productivity.
The first machine, a Hydraulic Ironworker Machine, was obtained during the financial year 2020-2021, while during the financial year 2021-2022, the enterprise bought a Hydraulic swing beam shears.
As for the owner of IYR Engineering Works, Mr Yoga Raghoonuth, he indicated that he has benefitted from the SME COVID-19 Special Support Grant from the Development Bank of Mauritius as well as from grants from SME Mauritius for the purchase of equipment.
He plans to open a workshop in the near future and purchase more equipment. Kushal Food Ltd is specialised in the preparation of frozen foods such as ‘samoussa’, ‘paté’, ‘croquettes’, and spring rolls.
As for Steel Plus Ltd, it has 18 employees and deals with big companies such as Larsen &Toubro and Gamma. Over the years, the business of IYR Engineering Works has evolved, and to date, the entrepreneur has already invested up to Rs 1 million in the latest machinery to satisfy customer demand.
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