BUSINESS

FMM URGES GOVT TO SET UP TO RM2 BLN ESG FUND TO ASSIST MSMES IN ESG JOURNEY

07/12/2022 02:48 PM

By Anas Abu Hassan

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) today urged the government to establish a one-stop centre and offer an ESG Fund of up to RM2 billion to assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in implementing the environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiative. 

President Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai said the proposed centre, which should fall under the purview of the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry, would provide an opportunity for MSMEs to obtain affordable financing and resources to kick-start their ESG journey.

"The ESG Fund should not only cater to certain industries, but include all industries that need financing and some government assistance to start implementing their ESG practices right now.

"We submitted our proposal to the previous government to establish the ESG Fund for the recent Budget 2023 presentation but it was not picked up. We will resubmit our proposal and hope that the new government will consider it," he told Bernama on the sidelines of the FMM Entrepreneurship Conference (FEC) 2022 here today. 

Soh noted that there is a need for greater adoption of ESG practices among MSMEs as investors and financial institutions are increasingly placing greater importance on ESG elements before deciding where to invest and provide access to financing. 

"The ministry should also come up with a comprehensive policy by having a new task force to oversee the adoption of ESG among the MSMEs while engaging the industry players to understand their challenges," he added. 

Meanwhile, Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development secretary general Datuk Suriani Ahmad, in her keynote address, said MSMEs will need to seriously address the ESG aspects in their business models to meet sustainability goals, in order to remain relevant in the global value and supply chains.

She said the government, through Bank Negara Malaysia, has established a RM1 billion Low Carbon Transition Facility to support MSMEs in adopting sustainable and low carbon practices under Budget 2022. 

"Eligible MSMEs will be able to obtain financing of up to RM10 million per company with a financing tenure of up to 10 years.

“As of July 6, 2022, 26 companies have applied for the facility with a total financing of RM11.71 million," she said.

Her speech was delivered by SME Corporation Malaysia chief executive officer Rizal Nainy at the opening ceremony of FEC 2022 today.

The one-day conference, themed “Strengthening SMEs with ESG, going forward and expanding trade with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)”, focuses on transitioning MSMEs towards a sustainable agenda, financing, market access and global value chain.

-- BERNAMA

 

 


BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 IFLIX channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.

Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial

© 2024 BERNAMA   • Disclaimer   • Privacy Policy   • Security Policy