Firms struggle to get climate change funds
Small and
medium-size enterprises are having difficulty in getting funds to adapt
their businesses to the impacts of climate change.
Pham Thi
Thanh Hang, director of the Investment Cooperation and Development
Centre for Small and Medium Enterprises, told a November 29 workshop in
Hanoi that it is hard for enterprises to meet requirements for
borrowing.
Although mechanisms have been issued to encourage enterprises to adapt to climate impacts, she said they are ineffective.
"I expect policy-makers and managers to do something to fix the situation," she added.
Pham
Thi Kim Hoa, a participant at the conference, said that dozens of
small-and medium enterprises in the northern province of Hoa Binh
were rejected when applying to borrow money from supporting funds.
This was because they lacked the skills to draw up detailed plans to persuade fund management boards to lend them money.
According to Hoa, many small and medium enterprises in Hoa Binh province have no idea what to do to cope with climate changes.
She recommended that the mass media should provide specific messages about how climate changes will affect enterprises.
The
workshop was co-organised by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's
Department of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change.-VNA