Cooperative societies, in addition to contributing towards the economic development of Mauritius, help to promote human values such as solidarity, equality and equity. As such, they also play a key role in the social development of our country.
The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, made this statement, on Saturday, at the National Co-operative College in Bois Marchand, during a ‘Gathering of Cooperators’ organised by the Cooperatives Division of the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives to mark the International Day of Cooperatives which is celebrated every first Saturday of July each year. The theme chosen for this year by the United Nations and the International Cooperative Alliance is “Cooperatives Build a Better World”.
The Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection, Mr Soodesh Satkam Callichurn, and other eminent personalities were also present on this occasion.
Prime Minister Jugnauth highlighted that the cooperative movement has made a lot of progress in recent years, both in Mauritius and Rodrigues. He commended the devotion of cooperators and their determination to work towards the development of the country.
Nowadays, he emphasised, cooperative societies have several new sectors to tap into so as to further develop. He also observed that, during the past 15 years, women cooperative societies have regrouped more than 1,000 members.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister underlined that, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and other international factors affecting the country, cooperative societies have an important role to play so as to help our country achieve food security.
Speaking about the chosen theme, Prime Minister Jugnauth pointed out that it is in line with one of Government’s Priorities which is to achieve self-sufficiency and food security. He reassured that Government will continue to support cooperative societies in a bid to enable them grow and play a more important role in boosting various economic sectors. He also urged cooperative societies to take advantage of the various schemes and programmes made available to them by Government.
As for Minister Bholah, he recalled that the cooperative movement in Mauritius dates back to some 109 years ago. He observed that the event is also an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in this sector during the past years by various cooperative societies.
The cooperatives sector, he added, has contributed and is still contributing to ensuring food security, promoting resilience to environment, providing employment, facilitating access to finance and promoting human values. He also dwelt on some projects in the pipeline for the cooperatives sector, as well as on several Memoranda of Understanding to be signed with India for the benefit of the sector.
It is recalled that several activities are being organised by the Cooperatives Division of the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives to mark the International Day of Cooperatives. They are, amongst others: a ‘Gathering of Cooperators’ at the National Co-operative College; the holding of a Cooperative market fair at Quatre Bornes on 04 July 2022; and radio talks on the cooperative movement in Mauritius and Rodrigues.
In addition, a training session was organised on 30 June and 01 July 2022 on the preparation of selected Rodriguan dishes by six women cooperators from Rodrigues at the National Co-operative College. A wreath laying ceremony was also held on 30 June 2022 at Les Jardins de la Compagnie in Port Louis together with the Mauritius Cooperative Alliance Ltd.
