Grant to uplift MSME sector

THE newly launched Business Link Pacific Business Support Grant will contribute positively to uplift the MSME sector and help improve the standard of living of the people, says Assistant Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel.

Mr Immanuel said the BLP Business Support Grant was designed to assist the MSMEs to grow, innovate and adapt to the changing circumstances.

He said there was a need to address the fundamental issues faced by the MSMEs under the context in which they operated, their entrepreneurial skills and resource availability so that the government could help them thrive.

Business Assistance Fiji (BAF) general manager Ramesh Chand said BAF would be the contact point for BLP’s Business Support Grant in Fiji.

Mr Chand said if there were businesses that wanted to do business around climate change then they would also be able to apply for the grant.

Business operators and BAF’s registered service providers with the chief guest Assistant Minister for Finance Erom Immanuel, after the launch yesterday.

“Businesses with five employees are able to apply for up to $NZ5000 ($F6824), those with up to 10 employees can apply for $NZ10,000 ($F13,649), with 20 employees businesses can apply for a grant for up to $NZ20,000 ($F27,299) and for those with up to 50 employees will be eligible to apply for a grant of up to $NZ30,000 ($F40,948),” Mr Chand said.

The application is an online process and MSME operators can go online to the BLP website and clink on the Business Support Grant and then they will be able to lodge their applications online.

Mr Chand said with this phase two of the BLP Business Support Grant they wanted to encourage businesses operating in rural and maritime areas to come forward and apply.

He said BAF had assisted a lot of businesses based in the rural and maritime areas with business diagnostic and other assistance and they wanted these businesses to apply for the grants.

Also present at the launch was Alex Shahryar-Davies, the deputy high commissioner — New Zealand High Commission.