Prihatin aid a lifeline, says cracker entrepreneur

Booming business: Shahrizam supervising his workers at his factory in Bukit Payong. — Bernama

MARANG: Thanks to the Bantuan Prihatan Nasional aid, rempeyek seller Shahrizam Samsudin says he was able to expand his business to become a successful entrepreneur.

Shahrizam, 36, said the RM1,600 which he received last April was like a lifeline as it was all that he had to depend on for the survival of his business.

“I had been selling food items at night and morning markets as well as at roadsides before this, so when the movement control order was enforced last March, I was devastated as I lost my livelihood.

“As soon as I received the Prihatin aid, I used the money to buy ingredients to make rempeyek (traditional deep-fried crackers) which I sold to friends.

“The response was very encouraging and from there business picked up, ” said Shahrizam when met at his factory near Kampung Padang Limau Nipis, Bukit Payong here yesterday.

The rempeyek produced by Micro Global Enterprise now goes out to over 20 product stockists and agents operating in east coast states.

On average, the company can produce about 1,200 bottles of rempeyek each month, and these are also sold in supermarkets and petrol stations around Terengganu.

Shahrizam, who now employs four workers, has also received training from the Terengganu Entrepreneur Development Foundation and gained useful tips in product labelling and packaging.

“Currently, the company produces peanut and anchovy rempeyek, which come from my traditional family recipes, and they are sold at RM17 and RM20 respectively.

Shahrizam said his 12 years’ experience in information technology with a Terengganu state government-owned company helped him a lot in selling the product through digital marketing channels.

He said he hopes to own a van or truck soon as this will facilitate delivery to stockists and agents who are located all over Terengganu as it is not advisable to deliver via courier services as the crackers could be crushed during transit.

Grateful with the way things have turned out for him, Shahrizam said he also wants to help more people start a business, especially those who lost their jobs due to the economic downturn due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Who would have thought that the Prihatin aid last year could make a difference and improve my livelihood and that of my business partners?

“The assistance, which came at the right time, has been very helpful to those affected. We should use the money wisely to secure our financial future, ” he said. —Bernama