The Odisha Industries Federation (OIF), an apex body of the micro, small and medium enterprises of the State, has estimated the loss to the MSME sector due to the Phailin at Rs 950 crore.
The OIF, while submitting a memorandum in this regard to the State Government, has demanded that the Central and the State Governments immediately announce a revival package for the affected micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) units.
The federation has also urged the State Government to assess the damages to the MSME sector by a high-level committee.
A fact-finding team of the OIF, which had visited the cyclone-ravaged areas of Ganjam district early this week, has estimated the damages to the MSME units in the district at Rs 540 crore.
The team has reported that about 400 rice mills and 270 other MSMEs which include 23 granite units, 150 kewada distillation plants and 55 cashew processing units have been badly affected. All the salt fields have been washed away. About 25 broiler and layers farms have been completely destroyed in the cyclone. The hotel and tourism industries have been affected worst.
Apart from these major areas, miscellaneous MSME units like plastic and polymer, electrical equipment manufacturing, fabrication and engineering, wood-based and cement-based industries and food processing units numbering about 250 have been totally affected.
large units like the Aska Sugar Mills and the Jayashree Chemicals have also been hit by the cyclone.
OIF chairman Sarat Kumar Sahu said the State Government though has given the damage reports of 14 departments to the Centre has not included the loss to the MSMEs in the memorandum. He has urged the Government to announce a package for the rehabilitation and revival of the affected units immediately as it involves the livelihoods of lakhs of workers and entrepreneurs.