KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) will, among others, focus on helping rural entrepreneurs in the pico category to increase their sales revenue this year.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said pico entrepreneurs comprised 84 per cent of all entrepreneurs under the ministry.
“So, things like this should be coordinated with Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, as well as Baitumal, zakat (tithe) distribution centres and so on so that we can see the effectiveness.
“We will also work with some NGOs to help small entrepreneurs so that they become real entrepreneurs and not just self-sufficient,“ he told a press conference after attending the KKDW Settlement Workshop here today.
Pico entrepreneurs are those who generate sales revenue below RM60,000 per year, while nano entrepreneurs between RM60,000 and RM150,000 and micro RM150,000 and RM300,000.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the workshop, among others, decided that every cross-agency entrepreneurship programme would be coordinated to avoid duplication.
He said KKDW would not work in a silo in ensuring that economic programmes in approximately 15,000 villages across the country with an allocation of between RM50,000 to RM100,000 for each village are implemented effectively.
The resettlement workshop, he said, had also formulated a total of 62 programme proposals based on six main focuses, namely economy and entrepreneurship; strengthening governance and sustainability of agencies and subsidiaries; education, infrastructure and technology; rural leadership and governance as well as delivery system.
He said all the recommendations during the workshop will be brought to the Cabinet next week. – Bernama
