Revamping the sector to increase food and goods production

The Minister of Industrial Development,
SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, was speaking at a brainstorming
session, this morning, at the Bois Marchand. 
The session brought together representatives of cooperative federations to
discuss the revamping process of the cooperatives sector to manage the Covid-19
economic impact.

The Minister recalled that the Covid-19
pandemic has engulfed the world into an unprecedented economic crisis, and it
is crucial at this point to promote local production to the maximum. According
to him, the cooperative sector has, over its 107 years of existence, considerably
contributed to the socioeconomic progress of the country.  The sector is now called upon to play a key
role to boost the post-Covid 19 economy of Mauritius, he pointed out.

Over the last five years, Mr Bholah highlighted,
Government has provided the necessary structure with the ideal conducive
productive environment along with a series of measures to  help the cooperative sector flourishes.  He dwelt on some of the major measures
including: the setting up of the Mauritius Cooperative Alliance, the promotion
of organic farming, increasing the visibility of locally-manufactured products,
increasing access to markets, and providing financial and technical support.

According to him, now that the
cooperative sector with Governmental support has the necessary knowhow and
expertise, it has to undertake its second phase of revamping and operation on a
more competitive level with higher standards. He stressed that in order to
create a more economically vibrant cooperative sector, there is a need to adopt
modern techniques of production, work within a culture of innovation, and develop
exportability.

Moreover, the Minister indicated that
the revamping of the sector will also take into account the potential
contribution of Rodrigues, particularly in animal farming. The island, he
added, has a specific environment that favours animal farming and other
agricultural crops, which the Government will further promote by providing thenecessary
facilities.

The Minister observed that the cooperative
sector has to learn from the Covid-19 crisis and tap into opportunities to spur
a new business environment such as the e-commerce.  He also indicated that his Ministry is
considering the setting up of market outlets for Cooperatives to sell their
products while ensuring that all consumers are able to buy fresh local products
at reasonable prices.

Minister Bholah also announced that his
Ministry is working on a new logo for the cooperative sector which will be used
on all locally produced food and goods.

#ResOuLakaz     #BeSafeMoris

 Government Information Service, Prime
Minister’s Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius.
Email: gis@govmu.org  Website: http://gis.govmu.org  Mobile App: Search Gov

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