KUCHING: The Sarawak Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) has been urged to identify more young villagers that have interest, skills and determination to succeed in related industries.
Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang said RISDA should identify more young local communities that have the interest so that they will be helped with a starter in the form of funds and guidance.
“This is to ensure that with their success later, they will be able to help the surrounding community with job opportunities and improve the local economies,” she said in a recent Facebook post.
Earlier, she disclosed that she had made a working visit to the Sarawak RISDA office to get the latest developments in projects and programmes implemented by RISDA, particularly involving small rubber farmers and the local community.
“After being briefed by the state RISDA director Shaharuddin Saberi, a delegation from RISDA Sarawak and I have inspected the Additional Economic Activity programme in several locations.
“The first location is at the manufacturing premises of pineapple-related products at D’Mata Enterprise in Kampung Sungai Mata, where I saw the making of delicious pineapple tarts and juice.
“Then, I went to Kampung Empila to inspect the making of cendol at Aju Enterprise. Many people may already know this product because this Aju cendol has already started to be sold at gas stations and also in shops around Kuching and Samarahan.
“Lastly, I visited Sri Mewangi Spa in Desa Ilmu, Samarahan. This spa is also one of the products of Additional Economic Activities programme under RISDA, just like Aju Cendol and D’Mata Enterprise,” she told.
Rubiah, who is also the Kota Samarahan MP, said these entrepreneurs not only managed to get initial funding to form a business and continued guidance from RISDA, but they also won the Bizz Challenge and were awarded additional funds of up to RM70,000.
“Their success is a joint success of RISDA and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development in an effort to produce successful rural children in all fields, especially entrepreneurship,” she pointed out.
