The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Business Reporter
THE Government will assist farmers and businesses in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces whose enterprises were destroyed due to effects of Cyclone Idai last month to revive their entities, a Cabinet Minister said.
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said a number of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across all sectors of the economy lost their property and products due to Cyclone Idai.
“We realised that most SMEs lost valuables, stocks and properties.
“Those in the agricultural sector such as the ones in market gardening and rearing of livestock had their enterprises ravaged as all was swept away.
“Over 1 000 head of cattle and over 12 000 chickens were swept away. Those running retail outlets also lost all their stocks and property,” she said.
Minister Nyoni said her ministry was working together with the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing to identify businesses that had their buildings destroyed by the cyclone so as to assist in reconstructing them.
“We have started registering all the businesses that were affected by the cyclone that need retooling and we now have a database of how many businesses were affected and how much they need.
“We are, however, still calling on those that are yet to register to come forward and do so,” she said.
Minister Nyoni said the funding to be availed to SMEs would be drawn from the $100 million disbursed by the Government to assist victims of Cyclone Idai and to restore infrastructure destroyed by the disaster and would be modelled in the same manner as the one, which was allocated to businesses that had their property destroyed and goods looted during the ill-fated demonstrations in January.
“The fund to be availed to the SMEs in Manicaland and Masvingo is similar to the one that was extended to businesses affected by the demonstrations in January.
“Those that lost cattle will be covered under Governments’ Command Livestock Programme,” she said.
@DNsingo
