LUNDU: Agencies under the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development must be more active in guiding and helping cooperatives and entrepreneurs.
This includes in terms of providing financing, schemes and business capital.
Minister Datuk Ewon Benedict, when making the call, expressed the commitment to continue supporting the development of cooperative businesses and entrepreneurs across the country.
“It is the responsibility of the ministry and the agencies under it to help the development of cooperatives and entrepreneurs, subject to the funds allocated to us,” he said at the opening of the PCS Petrol Station (Petronas ROVR) of Koperasi Permodalan Salcra Sarawak Berhad here yesterday.
He added tat financial assistance and loans will enable these cooperatives and entrepreneurs to expand their businesses.
Accordingly, he requested the Malaysian Cooperative Commission (SKM) to assist Koperasi Permodalan Salcra Sarawak Berhad which applied for a business capital loan of RM400,000 to expand its business.
Meanwhile, Ewon said that in Sabah his ministry had launched the Young Entrepreneur Scheme to help new entrepreneurs in the state start and expand their businesses.
He hopes the same scheme can be launched in Sarawak for the benefit of entrepreneurs in the state.
Ewon also said he would try to help entrepreneurs in Mas Gading’s parliamentary constituency and requested that MP Mordi Bimol contact him and the relevant agencies under his ministry for the assistance.
On the opening of the PCS Petrol Station (Petronas ROVR), Ewon urged Petronas to open more such stations to make it easier for consumers to get fuel supplies.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Koperasi Salcra Permodalan Sarawak Berhad, Dabrin Peter Kini, said the petrol station will be a supplier of petrol for vehicles around Lundu and Bau areas.
He said for a start the station will only sell RON95 petrol and is still waiting for approval from Petronas to sell diesel considering the higher demand for diesel in the district.
Regarding the cooperative business, he said his side managed to record a profit of RM250,000 last year and paid a 10 per cent dividend to its 965 members.
He said the cooperative also plans to buy two units of shop buildings in Samarahan for RM3.5 million.
