Commerce Ministry receives 2,000 applications for small business restoration grant

The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce has received approximately 2,000 completed applications for its $500-million Small Business Restoration Grant, aimed at helping micro and small business operators recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.

Portfolio Minister, Aubyn Hill, provided the update on Wednesday during the Ministry’s latest application drive at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay, St James.

Approximately 260 applications were received, processed, and completed during the one-day exercise.

Hill told JIS News that the programme is intended to help small operators, including hairdressers, barbers, carpenters, masons, and truckers, replace damaged equipment, restore their operations, and resume earning an income.

He noted that eligible applicants under the Programme’s FASST-BIZ Grant component can access grants of up to $350,000, provided their businesses are registered with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), the Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ), or their municipal corporation, and they possess a valid Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN).

The Minister further indicated that the Tools of Trade Grant targets operators who may not have registered businesses but lost essential equipment, such as hairdryers, saws, and other tools during the hurricane.

Hill, however, added that applicants for this grant must possess a TRN, noting that officers from Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) were on site assisting persons who needed to obtain one.

He further explained that applications must be attested to by a Member of Parliament, a Justice of the Peace, or a representative of an umbrella church group.

Meanwhile, Hill stated that successful applicants would not receive cash directly. Instead, they would be provided with an approved purchasing mechanism that allows them to access designated hardware and retail outlets to obtain the items needed to restart their businesses.

One applicant, cosmetologist Andrea Gooden, described the process as “worthwhile” and “awesome”.

The application drives commenced in Black River and Junction, St Elizabeth, where between 400 and 500 people were served.

The Ministry subsequently held application drives at Manning’s School in Westmoreland, attracting more than 500 people, and at the Social Development Commission (SDC) office in Hanover, where more than 124 persons attended.

The next application drive is scheduled for November 3 in Trelawny as the Government presses ahead with efforts to help hurricane-affected small businesses recover and resume operations.

- JIS News

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