Image credit: New Straits Times
KOTA KINABALU: The Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR) and the Sabah State Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO) are always planning new programmes to ensure local entrepreneurs can grow their businesses domestically and penetrate international markets.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam said the new programmes had enabled three local small and medium entreprises (SMEs) to showcase their products at the Expo 2020 Dubai last December.
From the exhibition, Jalina Resources Millionaire Sdn Bhd from Kota Marudu managed to secure a sales transaction worth RM300,000 and potential sales of RM12 million.
Magnawave Sdn Bhd from Sandakan closed a deal of RM60,000 and potential sales RM2.7 Million while Rosmie Snack Industry Sdn Bhd from Tawau secured a sales of RM35,000 and potential sales RM144,000.
Joachim, who is also the state Industrial Development Minister, was replying a query from Nabawan state assemblyman Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin during the question and answer session at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly sitting today.
Besides that, he said the government had also opened four Sabah SME Product Centres in Kota Kinabalu, Beaufort, Ranau and Papar for local entrepreneurs to sell and promote their products.
Another four more product centres will be opened in Keningau, Sandakan, Tawau and Kota Marudu this year, he added.
On the Sabah entrepreneur transformation programme, he said it was to help new entrepreneurs to design a new logo, nutritional content and barcode so that their products can be marketed to the Bataras hypermarket and Kedai Mesra Petronas.
"The collaboration with Bataras hypermarket had created a positive impact to the local entrepreneurs as the sales revenue had reached RM4.2 million in 2021, while with Petronas Dagangan Berhad, it generated RM344,311 of sales in Sabah and Labuan markets," said Joachim.
To further boost the local products, DIDR had also collaborated with KOJASA to open grocery outlets in Suria Inanam, Anjung Selera, Sabah Credit Corporation and UTC Kota Kinabalu.
He said an initiative has also been taken to set up the Sabah SME product centres at Segi Fresh Supermarket and GM Klang Wholesale City in Peninsular Malaysia to gradually penetrate the overseas market.
He said the Sabah Small and Medium Industry Assistance (BAIKS) was launched to increase the capacity and productivity of SME entrepreneurs in Sabah. Since 2017 to 2021, a total of 3,343 local entrepreneurs have received this assistance.
He added that SEDCO also provides business premises and incubator centres to new entrepreneurs in strategic areas at affordable rental rates.
On the "Buy Sabah Made Goods" which was launched by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on Jan 27, in Ranau, he said the campaign aimed to instil the spirit to buy Sabah produced products and to revitalise the state's economy which was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as create job opportunities.
There are 17 programmes waiting to be carried out this year, he said.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/03/781901/sabah-smes-secure-business-deals-expo-2020-dubai