Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CU)_ Malaysian Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz urged the traders to maximum utilize the funds offered by the government to market their goods online. He urged businesspeople to involve in online marketing to promote their products. While the Movement Control Order (MCO) was being implemented to control the spread of Covid-19, he stated that the traders must try and use all possible income generation opportunities.
The Minister urged the entrepreneurs to shift to online resources to promote their products during COVID-19 19 times. He said, “Today I visited entrepreneurs under the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) … and to see how the small and medium sized businesses are doing and what they have achieved. My advice to these entrepreneurs during the MCO is to take advantage of the opportunities available to start an online business and not to be disheartened. We have seen how the pandemic has increased sales for online companies, as consumers have turned to online shopping.” He stated this during his meet with the reporters after visiting two entrepreneurs in Kampung Serting Ilir under the Additional Economic Activity (AET) program. The Risda chairman, Datuk Mohd Salim Sharif, was also present.
To foster entrepreneurship and help increase the revenue of smallholders through product, marketing and information distribution, the Risda AET project was initiated. The Digital and Multimedia Learning Program Centre, which offers internet facilities for home teaching and learning needs was later officially headed and managed by Tengku Zafrul. The finance minister also donated tablets to 20 primary and secondary school students from low-income families during his official visit to Jempol district.
The administrator of the center, Nurul Azma Shafiqah Khairul Azhar, said that the center is now furnished with seven laptops and a smart television for PdPR use. Last week, the center started working to specifically serve the families with numerous school-aged children who require PdPR learning devices. She said that the center will be open from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm. She said, “The response has been encouraging and the center could accommodate a maximum of 10 students while maintaining physical distancing”.
