KUCHING: The number of co-operatives in Sarawak has grown by 20 per cent which is from 900 plus only in 2015 to the present 1,037.
Co-operative College of Malaysia, Sarawak Zone Director Siti Maimunah Bt Hj Jernis disclosed that as of the end of last year the number of co-operative members in Sarawak was 262,000.
“The total assets are valued at RM651 million with turnover totalling RM260 million last year,” she told reporters when met at a Majlis Ramah Tamah and closing of Bicara Ilmu Integrasi Dalam Budaya Kerja Koperasi event at Waterfront Hotel here yesterday.
The event was declared open by Hajah Aishah Bt Ariffin, Senior Director of Co-operative College of Malaysia, representing Associate Professor Dato’ Dr Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Razak Shaik, Director General of Co-operative College of Malaysia.
According to Siti Maimunah, in Sarawak, most of the co-operatives are those involved in consumers which are more towards retailing and wholesaling activities.
And now they are also more towards tourism –related activities (homestay activity), agriculture-related activities such as in Beladdin involving in commercial pineapples growing, and also similarly with the co-operative in Bau which is involved in commercial pineapples growing, and also in oil palm plantation.
In Sarawak, activities of co-operatives are more obviously related with wholesale and retail, agriculture, and tourism related activities, she said.
Co-operatives definitely help in the development of society and the communities in the rural areas, she pointed out. In the towns, she said, the co-operatives are more towards property and business related activities such as construction of houses; for example Cuepac co-operative are involved in property development whereas STIDC co-operative is also involved in property development where the properties are sold to co-operative members at reasonable prices.
“In Sarawak co-operatives help the people or the communities in the rural areas especially in business and indirectly it helps in the development of the communities,” she said.
In her speech, Hajah Aishah Ariffin stressed it is the responsibility of the members of co-operatives to always equip and prepare themselves with knowledge and skill in line with national development agenda to ensure the co-operatives’ movement is not left behind in nation building.
She said the co-operatives movements currently are facing with various new challenges internally and externally that will affect their performances and the changes in the economy, politics, environment including market liberalisation, the emergence of new technology and development of ICT required co-operatives to enhance their position and improve their competitiveness and resilience so that they could continue to be relevant and competitive.
She said the socio-economic level of the co-operative community either in towns or rural areas needs to be improved with the active participation in co-operatives.