SARA Boosts Local Economy, Helps Entrepreneurs, Retailers Increase Sales

By Suraidah Roslan and Noorazlina Jindeh

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- The Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) programme not only helps ease the public’s burden in purchasing essential goods but also generates a multiplier effect for local industry players, including supermarkets, retailers, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Everwin Papar Supermarket executive Changes Wong said the implementation of SARA has provided supermarkets with opportunities to increase sales, particularly for essential goods.

“Since the rollout of SARA, there has been a noticeable rise in both sales and customer traffic. Recipients buy daily essentials such as rice, cooking oil, eggs, flour, and condensed milk.

“Through SARA, consumers have become smarter in managing their spending, stretching the RM100 they receive each month to buy larger quantities of essential goods,” he told Bernama.

Noratikah Abdullah, 24, supervisor at Golden Dragon City Supermarket in Kinarut, noted that the implementation of SARA has positively impacted the store’s operations, boosting sales and customer numbers by up to 80 per cent since the programme’s launch.

“We have also doubled our stock of essential items, including rice, cooking oil, sugar, and flour. Additionally, the Rahmah Sales promotion is held weekly, offering goods at lower prices and enabling SARA recipients to buy more with their allocation,” she said.

Bataras Putatan Supermarket supervisor, Dayang Norhaini Anderias, 24, said the store maintains a sufficient monthly supply of essential goods to ensure the programme runs smoothly.

“Typically, SARA recipients purchase essential goods during the first week of each month, often causing crowded checkout counters. While some MSME products are included in the programme, many customers are still unaware of them,” she said.

For a petty trader like 44-year-old Chin Araman, who started his vegetable bosou business earlier this year, SARA has helped offset the costs of raw materials, including cooking oil, used in production.

Vegetable bosou is a traditional dish of the Kadazandusun community in Sabah, prepared by fermenting vegetables and usually sautéed with onions and ginger before serving.

The father of four uses ingredients such as jackfruit, carrots, spring onions, torch ginger flower, and tuhau (shoots of wild ginger) to prepare bosou, which is sold at RM15 per pack.

Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP) Datuk Ewon Benedick said that purchases of essential items under the SARA programme create ripple effects for MSME entrepreneurs by driving increased demand throughout the supply chain.

“SARA items purchases establish a supply chain that benefits the entire ecosystem, from producers and distributors to retailers,” he said.

SARA is a targeted cash assistance initiative that currently reaches 5.4 million recipients nationwide, comprising 700,000 eKasih households and 4.7 million Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) beneficiaries. Under Budget 2025, allocations for STR and SARA have been increased to RM13 billion from RM10 billion, while the annual SARA payment has been raised from RM1,200 to RM2,100.

In conjunction with National Day, the government announced the one-off SARA Appreciation aid, which is a RM100 cash credit via MyKad for all Malaysians aged 18 and above, benefiting 22 million people. With an additional RM2 billion allocation, total funding for STR and SARA this year reaches RM15 billion, the highest in the history of the nation’s cash aid programmes.

To date, over 8,100 retail stores nationwide have participated in the programme, offering more than 90,000 essential items across 14 categories, including rice, eggs, medicines, cleaning supplies, school materials, and hygiene products.

-- BERNAMA