MOTHER'S DAY: National cooperative fair in Caudan this Friday and Saturday

– A second planned for June 6 and 7 on the public beach of Flic-en-Flac

A National Cooperative Fair will be held this Friday and Saturday on the pedestrian walkway of the Port-Louis Waterfront as part of the Mother's Day celebrations. The event, organized by the Cooperatives division of the Ministry of Industry, SMEs and Cooperatives, will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It aims to promote the Mauritian cooperative sector while providing a marketing platform for locally manufactured products.

The fair will bring together 54 cooperators representing 36 cooperative societies. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover and purchase a wide range of products, including fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, agro-processed products, local specialties, handicrafts, textiles and decorative items. Coinciding with Mother's Day weekend, this initiative will also allow the public to celebrate this occasion by supporting local producers and artisans and purchasing authentic gift ideas designed by Mauritian cooperatives.

The cooperative movement continues to play an important role in the socio-economic development of Mauritius. Based on the principle “one member, one vote”, cooperatives are democratically managed companies based on values ​​of solidarity, equality, mutual aid and collective responsibility. Beyond the search for profit, they aim to improve the living conditions of their members and contribute to the development of communities.

Mauritius has a long cooperative tradition dating back to 1913 with the creation of the first cooperative society intended for small sugar cane planters. Today, the sector has around 1,200 active cooperatives, including in Rodrigues, representing 87,327 members and generating an estimated annual turnover of Rs 5.6 billion. Cooperatives operate in more than 25 sectors, including agriculture, fishing, public transport, crafts, credit and savings.

As part of its efforts to strengthen the sector, the Cooperatives division is putting in place several support measures in favor of cooperators. These include training programs, technical advice as well as financial assistance to support economic activities and modernization projects. Cooperative fairs are also organized regularly to promote local products and create business opportunities for cooperatives. Similar events have already been organized this year at the Quatre-Bornes market, Quartier des Serres, the Mahébourg seafront and the Victoria urban terminal.

The ministry invites the public to come in large numbers to support the Mauritian cooperators, known