Rep: Mini-carnival expects to generate RM50,000 in sales

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Dr Abdul Rahman (second left) with Zainal (left), Hamidah (fourth left), Haslinda (right) and others promote some local products at the mini-carnival.

LIMBANG: The mini-carnival for micro-entrepreneurs here can be of great assistance to small-time entrepreneurs, especially those with disability (OKU) and recipients of welfare aid.

According to Assistant Minister for Welfare and Community Wellbeing Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail, such programme could help them be independent and able to generate their own incomes and at the same time, get them out of the vicious poverty cycle.

The Micro Entrepreneurs Welfare Mini-Carnival 2017 – Northern Zone, he observed, could become the platform for traders from across the northern region of the state to market their products.

“We are confident that through mini carnivals like this, local entrepreneurs could sell their quality products under the ‘Wellbest’ brand. We are targetting sales amounting to RM50,000 throughout the three-day carnival,” he said in his opening remarks at the mini-carnival in Dataran Jubli Emas here attended by respective state Welfare Department and Limbang District Office representatives Zainal Taram and Hamidah Halpi, as well as Limbang Welfare officer Haslinda Supu yesterday.

Thirty-nine OKU entrepreneurs from here, Miri, Lawas and Bintulu took part in the carnival.

Dr Abdul Rahman, who is also Bukit Kota assemblyman, said the mini carnival was one of the government’s efforts in helping local entrepreneurs generate more incomes and motivate them to realise their potential.

“It is also an opportunity for them to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in entrepreneurship so they could enhance and market their products to higher levels,” he said, adding that the government would strive to reduce the number of recipients of aid under the Welfare Department by half come 2030.

He added that the large number of welfare aid recipients across the state had given opportunity to the department to produce many welfare micro-entrepreneurs, guiding them towards becoming self-reliant to the point where they would no longer require welfare assistance.

“Currently, Sarawak has 56,000 welfare recipients – half of them are those who can still be considered productive – those having income-potential skills such as in tailoring and food production,” he pointed out.

Dr Abdul Rahman said the Welfare Department would continue to work closely with other relevant agencies in giving exposure to prospective entrepreneurs by providing them with business capital or expertise to boost their business.

On start-up capital programme, he said the Welfare Department would allocate RM5,000 as a grant for each participant to set up their business.