THE Department of Trade and Industry is calling for businesses to apply for funds to help export products to the international market.
At a road show at Port Elizabeth's East Cape Training Centre on Friday the department's export marketing investment and assistance scheme director, Donald Mabusela, said it was working to educate businesses on how they could take advantage of subsidies to market their products abroad. The department is targeting the manufacturing industry to increase job creation there.
Businesses were also informed of the investment opportunity and briefed on the legislative requirements to trade in the international market.
Mabusela said the assistance could be air tickets, transport of goods to a trade fair and exhibition costs. The department had identified a number of exhibitions a year and businesses could apply to participate in them.
"The key thing here is promoting industrialisation.
"A way to contribute to the manufacturing sector is to assist manufacturers gain access to a bigger market.
"The business will grow and they will employ more people and in turn the economy will grow.
"If we can assist them to export, then they will be able to export more and pay more taxes. Government will get more revenue and be able to compensate more businesses."
Johannesburg-based trade consultant Linda Duxbury-Holtes said marketing was a costly part of the business.
She briefed the businesses on the legislative requirements that a business should be aware of when trading, such as 11 terms of delivery. These cover essential factors from costs, quotes, contracts and invoices to receipts.
"You can't ship anything unless you understand the responsibilities for costs, import and export duties, taxes and insurance, and you can't look after your own interests if you can't understand them."
