SFWF Programmes


Purpose:

Funding to the tune of Rs 3 million have been provided in the National Budget 2016/17 to provide incentive for milk production.

Objective:

To provide a stimulus to small cow breeders to take better care of their heifers up to lactation period so as to boost up milk production

Features:

  • A cash grant of Rs 5000 will be provided to all small dairy cows breeders registered with the SFWF for each of their heifers they have successfully reared up to the lactating period for a maximum of 40 cows per breeder
  • It would normally take 27 months for the heifer after birth, [i.e 9 months after the Artificial Insemination (AI)] to start lactating
  • In this connection, the Scheme applies for all calves born as from 30 March 2014 and thereon which would start lactating as from June 2016 (i.e the start of FY 2016/17)

Conditions:

The Scheme will apply only to dairy cows and not beef type cows.

  • Breeders who have use Natural Service for conception would be eligible under the Scheme provided the DVS certify that the heifer is of milch type.
  • In view of the funding provided in National Budget 2016/17 and administrative fee that would be required by the SFWF to operate the Scheme, the proposed cash grant of Rs 5,000 will be paid to a maximum of 560 cows.
  • The Scheme will be extended on a first come first serve basis

Eligibility Criteria:

Small dairy cow breeders registered with the SFWF

Smart Agri – Business Programme

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Purpose:

The SFWF is the authorized body providing certification to farmers to enable them benefit from preferential rates on road tax on utility vehicle from the National Transport Authority (NTA).

Features:

Applicant must be the owner of a vehicle and provide all relevant documents:

  • Planter
    1. Land Title Deed or Lease Agreement
    2. Copy of identity card
    3. Copy of vehicle’s horsepower
  • Breeder
    1. Land Title Deed or Lease Agreement
    2. Copy of identity card
    3. Tag numbers of animals

Eligibility Criteria:

The farmer must be registered with the Fund

Mode of application:

Applicants must submit the duly filled B-Carrier Application Form together with the required documents at the SFWF Head Office at Saint Pierre or at its sub-offices.

Purpose:

The VAT Refund Scheme provides small farmers Refund of VAT paid on their purchases of equipment as specified in a scheduled list.

You may click on the following link to download the scheduled list and the new list 

Objective:

To provide fiscal incentive to small farmers to encourage them adopting modern technologies to increase farm efficiency and productivity, hence boosting up agricultural production.

Features:

The Scheme provides farmers refund of the 15% Value Added Tax paid on their purchase of equipment, machines, spare parts, etc.

The relevant list of equipment can be viewed for small farmers at the 12th Schedule of the VAT Act. For small farmers the Section 65(A) and (1B) Parts I, II, III and IV is applicable.

The eligible farmer must apply for refund within 15 days from the end of the quarter during which equipment was purchased, provided that the amount refundable in a quarter is Rs 1,000 or more.

If amount refundable is less than Rs 1000, the person may carry forward this amount to next quarter.

Eligibility:

The farmer must be registered with the Fund

Mode of application:

Eligible Farmers must submit their duly filled in application forms at the Small Farmers Welfare fund Head Office or at its Sub-Offices or at the Mauritius Revenue Authority.

Required Documents / Info:

  • Copy of National ID Card
  • Copy of  Farmers Card
  • Copy of Business Registration Card
  • VAT Registration Number
  • Original VAT invoice
  • Payment receipt
  • Photocopy of Customs Declaration

1. Le Bar Coding Acquisition Scheme (BCAS)

  • En ligne avec le programme gouvernemental 2015-2019, le Small Farmers Welfare Fund (SFWF) en collaboration avec le Ministère de l’Agro Industrie et de la Sécurité Alimentaire, a introduit le Bar Coding Acquisition Scheme (BCAS). Sous lequel une allocation sera octroyée aux agro processors pour l’acquisition des codes à barres pour leurs produits.
  • L’objectif de ce programme est de rendre les produits agro-industriels plus commercialisables et d’aider les petits agro-processeurs à exploiter d’avantage des marchés telles que les hypermarchés et les marchés d’exportation.
  • Le BCAS sera opéré en collaboration avec la Commission de l’Agriculture de Rodrigues.

2. Qu’est qu’un Code à Barres?

  • Les codes à barres sont des symboles qui peuvent être scannés électroniquement à l’aide de systèmes laser ou à caméra. Ils sont utilisés pour encoder des informations telles que les numéros de produit, les numéros de série et les numéros de lot.
  • Pour la République de Maurice, le GS1 (MAURITIUS) LTD, travaillant avec la Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), est la seule organisation autorisée à allouer des codes à barres GS1 uniques aux opérateurs commerciaux.
  • Les codes à barres GS1 jouent un rôle clé dans les chaînes d’approvisionnement, permettant aux parties comme les détaillants, les fabricants, etc de mettre en oeuvre la traçabilité des produits tout au long de la chaîne d’approvisionnement ainsi que de gérer leur stock.

3. Allocation Payable

  • Les agro processeurs bénéficieront d’ une allocation ‘one off’ de maximum Rs 10,000 sous le BCAS, pour financer:
    1. Les étiquette code à barres pour un minimum de 1 000 produits.
    2. Les frais d’enregistrement au GS1(MAURITIUS) LTD pour la première année.
  • Le BCAS sera opérationnelle selon le principe de ‘premier venu, premier servi ’ jusqu’à épuisement des fonds prévu à cet effet.

3. Comment bénéficier de l’allocation financière?

  • Sont éligibles, les agro- processeurs enregistrés avec le SFWF.
  • L’Agro processeur doit faire l’application pour les codes barres requises au bureau du SFWF c/o Public Relation Unit Office, Citronelle, Rodrigues muni des documents suivants:
    1. Sa Carte Agro Processeur Valide
    2. Une déclaration du chiffre d’affaires annuel sur le formulaire GS1 (MAURITIUS) LTD;
  • L’application, sera envoyée par le SFWF au GS1 (MAURITIUS) LTD pour entre autres, avoir la cotation respective.
  • Après réception de la cotation et vérification, le SFWF effectuera le paiement en forme de chèque en faveur de GS1 (MAURITIUS) LTD pour permettre l’émission des codes à barres à l’Agro processeur.

Farm Production Support Programme

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List of Fertilisers [ Open Field | Hydroponic ]

 

Purpose:

To merge the HPIS and IMPS into one scheme.

Objective:

To provide a stimulus to small cow breeders to take better care of their heifers up to lactation period (a most critical period for the survival of both the cow and the calf) so as to boost up milk production

Features:

  • A cash grant of Rs 15,000 will be provided to small registered breeders  for each calf having reached the age of 3 months 
  • A maximum of 40 calves per year

Conditions:

The Scheme will apply only to cattle breeders only.

 

Eligibility Criteria:

Small dairy cow breeders registered with the SFWF

Purpose:

  1. To ensure Agro Processors are collecting Good Quality Milk (non adulterated and safer for consumption) from breeders at Farm Gate Level and in turn supply quality milk to customers.
  2. To ensure that small breeders are using good quality animal feeds to improve quantity and quality of milk.
  3. To ensure Agro Processors are using good quality water for their usual activities to prevent potential contamination in order to ensure safe and quality food.

Objective:

To provide grant to agro processors under the Accompanying Measures for the Livestock Sector (AMLS) to meet with the costs of:

  1. Milk
  2. Feed
  3. Water Testing

at the Food Technology Laboratory (FTL) of the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security.

Features:

  1. According to the FTL there is a need for both chemical & microbiological tests to ensure supply of non-adulterated milk and safe food for consumption. The following tests have therefore been recommended by the FTL:
    • Micro parameters with Total Coliform for milk testing
    • E.coli, Coliform, Intestinal enterococci, Colony count 22◦C, Colony count 36◦C for water testing
    • B-glucuronidase-positive E.coli, Yeast and mould and Salmonella for feed testing
  2. According, to an agro processor, he needs to have 40 samples i.e 20 of fresh milk collected and 20 of processed milk tested every month.

A total funding of Rs221, 000 would be required per agro processor. The SFWF would provide 50% subsidy and the agro processor would need to contribute the remaining 50%.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The farmer must be registered with the Fund
  • Committed to the processing of fresh milk purchased from small farmers

Mode of application:

All interested companies are requested to submit their applications at any of the SFWF offices accompanied by the following:

  1. Quotation (s) of the required analyzes (original and copies) obtained from the FTL
  2. List of breeders with whom the company works

Purpose:

To provide free fertilizer (NPK and CAN) to small registered tea planters to assist them in increasing their field productivity and reducing their cost of production.

Objective:

  • To boost up the production of tea leaves, hence consolidating the tea industry and livelihood of families depending on this sector.

Features:

  • Amount of fertilizer distributed: NPK fertiliser 175 Kg per arpent and CAN fertiliser 100 Kg per arpent

Eligibility criteria:

  • Tea planters must be duly registered with the Small Planters Welfare Fund (SFWF)
  • Tea planters should possess a valid National Agricultural Products Regulatory Office (NAPRO) license

Mode of application:

Applicants must submit their duly filled TSSS Application Form at the SFWF Head Office at Saint Pierre or at its sub-offices together with the following documents:

  •  Valid tea planter’s card
  • Copy of Valid NAPRO license

Risk Management Programme

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Purpose:

The Accident Insurance Scheme aims to provide small farmers an income support during redundancy caused by injuries, where they might not earn any revenue, so as to enable them meeting with at least their basic needs and partially financing relevant medical expenses

Objective:

To provide a 24-hour worldwide insurance coverage to registered farmers against injuries caused by accident.

Features:

Payment Benefits:

    1. Payment of compensation shall be effected for more than one event during the whole membership period (i.e. 2017-2018). An event being an accident causing a total/partial/permanent disability.
    2. Payment of injury leave allowance and reimbursement of medical expenses may be made during the coverage period and based solely on medical certificate/s issued by a doctor from the public hospital certifying the nature of the disability and the cause.
    3. Payment of a disability compensation calculated on the degree of disability of the farmer is payable as follows:

Financial Indemnities

Death: Nil

Permanent TOTAL Disablement: Rs 20,000

Permanent PARTIAL Disablement: Based on degree of disability (as per Schedule)

Temporary Total Disablement: Rs 1,500 per week (for a maximum of 24 weeks with a waiting period of 15 days)

Eligibility:

The farmer must be registered with the Fund

Mode of application:

A farmer is automatically covered under the Accident Insurance Cover at registration.

Claims / Refund

The farmers must submit their duly filled n the event of an accident causing injury, the farmers must submit their duly filled Claim Form together with the following documents to avail for the Accident Insurance Scheme.

Required Documents / Info:

  • Copy of National ID Card
  • Copy of Valid Farmer ID Card
  • Original (or certified true copy of) Medical Certificate
  • Original Invoice(s)
  • Original Receipt(s)

Objective:

To provide pension benefits to small farmers for an assured income a secured retirement in their old age.

Features:

  • The SFWF introduced two Farmers’ Pension Plans for registered farmers as follows:
    • The Small Farmers Welfare Fund Pension Scheme by the State Insurance Company of Mauritius (SICOM)

Small Farmers Welfare Fund Pension Scheme

  1. This Pension Scheme is run by the State Insurance Company of Mauritius (SICOM) and is meant for registered small farmers registered with the SFWF holding a valid planter’s/breeder’s card as well as husband/wife and children of 18 years or above.This Pension Scheme is run by the State Insurance Company of Mauritius (SICOM) and is meant for registered small farmers registered with the SFWF holding a valid planter’s/breeder’s card as well as husband/wife and children of 18 years or above. 
  2. The Contribution
    • Minimum pension amount payable is 200 rupees per month including life cover with the opportunity to contribute an additional sum to obtain a higher pension. There is no maximum ceiling on level of contribution.
    • Farmers can opt to pay for an additional contribution for an insurance cover in case of permanent disability.
  3. Benefits and Pension is payable:
    • The planter can receive the money either through a lump sum or as a monthly pension.
    • Pension compulsory at age of retirement fixed at 65 years.
    •  Pension as from the age of 50.
    • In case of death.
    • In case of complete and permanent disability.

 Benefits

(i)     Monthly pension or lump sum at retirement.

(ii)     Widow and Orphan pension in case of death before retirement.

(iii) Disability pension in case of disability before retirement age.

Eligibility Criteria:

  1. The farmer must be registered with the Fund. The farmer must be registered with the Fund.
  2. Age limit for entry from 18 to 55 years

Mode of application:

Eligible Farmers must submit their duly filled application form together with the following documents at the Small Farmers Welfare Fund Head Office or at its Sub-Offices.

Purpose:

To provide an income support to tea growers for the loss of income incurred during winter season due to decrease in tea leaves production in the form of tea leaves harvested for the previous season

Objective:

  • To encourage planters to provide better maintenance of theri crops during winter (e.g. pruning their fields) to increase productivity
  • To boost up for new entrants including youngsters in tea plantation

Features:

Quantum Payable: 

            Rs 1.50/Kg for the total leaves produced but calculated based on quantity of tea leaves for the five winter months (5) pertaining to the respective Crop Season

Eligibility criteria:

The farmer must:

  1. be registered with the Fund and hold a valid Farmer’s Card
  2. hold a valid licence from the National Agricultural Products Regulatory Office (NAPRO)

How to benefit from the Winter Allowance Scheme:

  • Tea growers must ensure that their names together with their respective production (Kg) for the last crop season are provided by the respective Tea Factories to the NAPRO.
  • The SFWF will then issue the corresponding cheques, as per list of eligible tea growers as submitted by the NAPRO.

Objective:

To provide financial assistance in the form of a death grant to the farmer or his/her family in case of the demise of a family member.

Features:

The Fund provides a death grant (including funeral and cremation expenses) to the farmers or his/her family in the event the farmer himself/herself and/or a member of the family has passed away due to natural reasons.

The family would comprise:

(a) The farmer
(b) The spouse of the farmer, married under the Civil Status Act
(c) The children of the farmer born from the civil marriage at (b) and below the age of 18 years

Payment of Benefits:

SN

Details

Amount Payable (Rs)

1

One person  has deceased and only one person is registered as farmer

5,000

2

One person has deceased and two persons are registered as farmer

2 x 5,000

3

One farmer has deceased and two persons are registered as farmer

2 x 5,000

4

More than one person deceased and one person is registered as farmer

As per Board Decision

5

More than one person deceased and two persons is registered as farmer

As per Board Decision

Beneficiaries:

The farmer or any member(s) of the family of the said deceased registered farmer s designated in the Registration Form. (Contribution – Free)

Eligibility Criteria:

The farmer must be registered with the Fund

Mode of application:

The farmer is automatically covered by the Funeral Scheme at registration.

How to make a claim?

The beneficiary must call in person at the SFWF Head Office at Saint Pierre or any of the sub-offices and fill a claim form accompanied by the following documents.

Required Documents:

  • Death Certificate of the deceased person
  • Copy of National ID Card of farmer(s)
  • Copy of National ID card of beneficiary
  • Copy of Birth Certificate of child, in case the latter has deceased
  • Copy of Marriage Certificate, in case the spouse has deceased

Quality of Life Programme

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Scheme not available presently

Purpose:

To provide leisure activities to small farmers and their families, including their children.

Objective:

To promote the welfare of the farming community and enhance their Quality of life. To provide constructive activities to children of farmers during school holidays. To promote networking and exchange of ideas among farmers from different parts of the island. To consolidate the family.

Features:

SFWF organises regular leisure activities for small famer’s community more particularly during school holidays. The Fund provides free transport facility and lunch during such activities. Various places of interest are chosen for these occasions (Bras D’Eau Nature Park, Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, Black River Gorge and so on).

Contribution: The facility is free of charge.

Beneficiaries: Farmers and their family.

Eligibility:

The farmer must be registered with the Fund.

Mode of application:

participation form is sent to farmers that must be duly filled and sent to the SFWF Head Office at Saint Pierre or any of the sub-offices.

Required Documents:

  • Birth Certificate of Child
  • Farmer must be holder of a valid Farmer’s card

Purpose:

To promote on-the-job training to children of farmers to better prepare them for their future in terms of further education and career

Features:

Under the Work Based Placement Scheme children of registered farmers are provided on-the-job training in the different departments of the Fund (Administration, Finance, Human Resources, Project Development, Information Technology and Internal Control) ​on farms and fieldon farms and fields.

HSC School Leavers

The placement is allocated to children who have just sat for the Higher School Certificate for the current examinations and have obtained best results at the School Certificate examinations.

University Level

The placement is allocated to children of registered farmers following courses at the University of Mauritius or University of Technology and who have just completed their Higher School Certificate Examinations.

Eligibility Criteria:

  1. Child of Registered Famers
  2. Students who had already been on placement at the SFWF shall not be eligible for the Scheme. The additional criteria, to decide between cases of ex-aequos are as follows:
    • Types of farming activity undertaken by the applicant’s responsible party, whether full time or part time farmer, whereby full time farmers is given priority of consideration.
    • Number of children attending primary or secondary or tertiary institutions in the applicant’s family. Family with the highest number is given priority of consideration.

Remunerations: A monthly stipend is payable to each trainee. The SFWF has made arrangements with the TEC approved universities in Mauritius (University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Open University and Université des Mascareignes)

Documents to be produced:

  • Examinations Result of farmers’ children
  • Responsible party’s SFWF’s valid card
  • Birth Certificate of applicant
  • SC/HSC/Degree Certificate of applicant
  • Instruction letter issued by the Mauritius Examination Syndicate to applicant for the HSC exams

List of registered farmers for roll 2023-2024

  • N/A
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