The socio-economic grant under Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) has empowered Chinese new village entrepreneurs to develop local products for the global market.
Chinese New Village Development Committee Secretariat chief Tan Boon Siang said 39 food products by local new villages were showcased at the 35th Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair in Harbin, China, last May.
“KPKT allocates RM100mil yearly to develop new villages across four pillars, namely infrastructure, tourism, kampung-good products and beautification.
“Under the kampung-good product pillar, non-governmental organisation KG-ing was tasked with developing exceptional new village products.”
Tan said that with the grant, KG-ing provided structured training in product targeting, strategy and promotion for entrepreneurs from new villages.
“They were then assessed through a competition in which they were given the chance to showcase their products on an international platform to expand their market reach.
“Among the products showcased at the Harbin Trade Fair were the Musang King Egg Roll, Keng Guan Hainan Coffee, Koza’B Mini Spiced Wheel Cookies and Jerai Sambal Tumis, all produced in Malaysia’s new villages,” Tan told StarMetro after launching the “Wow! Kampung Baru Expo Malaysia”.
The third edition of the expo will be held at Pavilion Bukit Jalil Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur, from Sept 25 to 27 between 10am and 10pm.
Business owners and artisans from 26 new villages, restructured villages, and fishing villages will showcase their crafts and products.
“This upcoming event, which involves new villages nationwide, aims to drive these businesses towards self-sustainability.
“Over the two past editions, the expo featured new villages from the northern and southern regions separately, with each expo generating about RM300,000 in sales.
“We aim to double that figure to RM600,000 this year and achieve a turnout of 100,000 over three days,” said Tan.
“We want these new village goods, such as Kampung Koh chili sauce, ginger relish, and keropok, to gain widespread brand recognition through proper promotion.
“Successful sales at these events give local businesses the track record and momentum needed to expand further into the commercial market while boosting the identity of their new villages,” he said.
Tan said that out of the overall RM100mil annual budget, RM5mil is specifically set aside each year for socio-economic grant initiatives.
“Although it is only 5% of the total grant, we have managed to achieve great results.
“For example, RM300,000 was offered to KG-ing for the kampung-good competition to source professional trainers to upskill local vendors while another RM300,000 went towards funding the expo,” he said.
Tan added that KPKT has also partnered with Bank Simpanan Nasional to offer Micro Plus Loan schemes for new villages’ entrepreneurs.
