KUALA LUMPUR: The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry is ready to help book industry entrepreneurs who need loans to stay afloat, says its minister Tan Sri Noh Omar (pic).
He said such assistance was appropriate as the industry usually incurred costs in terms of providing transportation services and printing equipment.
"God willing, I, as the minister, will try to provide as much assistance as possible.
"Those who are involved in book entrepreneurship, printing and book distribution. Book distribution can't be done using motorcycles, so there is a need to rent lorries and so on. These entrepreneurs need help,” he said while speaking at the closing ceremony of the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair 2022 at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (WTCKL) on Sunday (June 12) night.
According to him, there were also printing companies that were given equipment, printing machines and advertising equipment worth up to RM500,000 in the form of grants, and not cash.
"So with the agencies that are under the ministry, I hope that the entrepreneurs who are involved in the book industry can come forward, you are all entrepreneurs that we should support," he said.
Noh added that entrepreneurs in the industry affected by the floods could also apply for an interest-free cash loan of up to RM100,000.
"We still have RM100mil allocated by the government and if there are micro-entrepreneurs involved in the book industry who are still affected by the floods, they can come to us," he said. - Bernama
