GIS – 08 April, 2020: Government will accelerate efforts and explore potential ways to limit the impact of the Covid-19 on trade and businesses in Mauritius. Thus, a standing committee, as one of the key measures to evaluate the impacts of the Covid-19 on the state of affairs in the long run and to discuss the implementation of prospective actions to boost the sector, will be set up. The Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, made this announcement, yesterday, following a working session held at the seat of the Ministry, at Newton Tower, in Port Louis.
The session aimed at assessing the current situation of businesses with regard to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Representatives of the SME Mauritius Ltd (SML), the Mauritius Export Association (MEXA), the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), the Association of Mauritian Manufacturers (AMM) and the Economic Development Board (EDB), as well as other stakeholders, were present.
Members of the proposed standing committee will be from the Ministry, the SML, the MEXA, the MCCI, the AMM, the EDB,the Mauritius Cooperative Alliance and Business Mauritius.
In a statement, Minister Bholah highlighted that all the stakeholders have agreed on the urgency to identify a recovery plan for businesses across the country. This is due to the fact that the main markets of Mauritius are being impacted with the disruptions recorded at the level of international trade flows which will in turn lead to a significant drop in exports, he added. His Ministry, he pointed out, in collaboration with the AMM, will therefore launch an aggressive campaign on the theme ‘Consommer Mauricien’ to encourage consumers to buy locally manufactured products.
Other measures discussed during the working session include redirecting the resources of SME Mauritius Ltd to strengthen support plans for existing SMEs as well as securing jobs. Also, an action plan, a collaboration of the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, and the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, to help cooperatives engaged in the production of vegetables and fruits will be developed. Furthermore, seedlings will be sold at the Seed Production Unit in Henrietta, which is managed by the Mauritius Cooperative Agricultural Federation Ltd.
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