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20 pct growth for co-operatives in S’wak

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Participants at the “Bicara Ilmu” and “Hari Raya Aidilfitri” Gathering 2018 at the Waterfront Hotel, Kuching yesterday.
Participants at the “Bicara Ilmu” and “Hari Raya Aidilfitri” Gathering 2018 at the Waterfront Hotel, Kuching yesterday.

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.

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