Africa-Press – Mauritius. An Open Day with the aim to provide information on Grant Schemes and Incentives for Cooperative Societies, was launched, this morning, at the Victoria Urban Terminal in Port Louis. The Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, and other personalities were present on the occasion.
In his address, Minister Bholah emphasised that Cooperative Societies contribute significantly to the economic development of Mauritius, and also help reinforce human values such as solidarity, equality, and equity, thereby playing a major role in the social development of our country.
Furthermore, Mr Bholah observed that the cooperative movement has made a lot of progress in recent years indicating that to-date, there are some 1,150 companies and 85,000 members registered, with an annual turnover of four billion rupees.
On this note, the Minister commended all Cooperative Societies that have seized the opportunities and facilities made available by the Government. The Government, he underpinned, is always at the forefront of supporting the population, and it is in this regard that some Rs 21 million have been earmarked for the Cooperatives sector in Budget 2023-2024.
On this score, the Minister outlined the Schemes launched, namely: Boost to Local Production Scheme; Goat Farming Scheme; Zero Budget Natural Farming Scheme; Waste Recycling Scheme, and; Seedlings Production Scheme.
Minister Bholah further remarked that information on the aid schemes available will be disseminated at the 10 information kiosks including the National Cooperative College present at the Open Day to raise awareness amongst cooperatives and the public.
In addition, he dwelt on additional measures implemented by his Ministry to assist Cooperatives, including: a budget of Rs 16 million for work at the Maison des Pêcheurs in Tamarin and Rs 40 million for the Cooperative Common Facility Centre in St Pierre; Restructuration of five Cooperative Business Centres; Financing of several projects under Cooperative Development Fund Schemes; Acquisition of new technologies and equipment; Regular organisation of fairs to enable Cooperatives to sell their products and; Provision of training to beneficiaries to enable their growth.
Finally, Minister Bholah reassured that the Government will continue to support Cooperative Societies in a bid to enable them to reinvent themselves in the face of challenges as well as to play a more prominent role in boosting various economic sectors.
He thereby urged Cooperative Societies to identify and take advantage of the various support schemes provided by the Government and other institutions to ensure their succession in the future.
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