KUCHING: E-commerce should be seen as an incredible opportunity for Sarawakians to venture into the business sector and improve, said International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development (Mintred) Assistant Minister Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais.
Naroden, who was representing Mintred Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, said the emergence of digital economy through technology had made the world more accessible, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to push themselves in global market.
“SMEs make up 98 per cent of the country’s business sector, contributing 51 per cent to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“We shall focus on the development of the service industry and SME to bring our economy to new heights. Look at Singapore, which has no land for agriculture, it relies much on its service sector to generate revenue.
“So do Hong Kong and Taiwan whose service industry has spurred the economy, and their infrastructure development is more advanced than ours,” Naroden said at the launch of the National Institute of Entrepreneurship (INSKEN) Business Coaching (IBC) Sarawak Edition 2020 at Riverside Majestic Hotel here, yesterday.
“What people living in the cities and towns eat such as fruits and vegetables all come from the rural areas. Some of them may even need homestay programme during the holidays.
“This is where opportunities arise for the SMEs in rural areas. Offer what the urban folk need as a way to explore and expand your businesses,” he added.
Calling all rural SMEs to work with various government agencies to improve their business performance, Naroden also said that the rural community would enjoy better road connectivity in the near future when the Pan Borneo Highway and Coastal Road projects are completed.
“Therefore, it is important for SMEs to embrace technology and use the Internet to expand business network.
“The state government along with the federal will continue to provide the best service for SMEs to continue to develop in our country,” he said.
