KUCHING, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) has allocated RM20 million under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) to train 4,000 rural entrepreneurs through the Entrepreneur Digitalisation Programme (PPU), said its Deputy Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang.
She said since the programme's inception three years ago, 3,249 rural entrepreneurs have been trained, with 6,000 of their products recorded in the ministry's trade system, Desamall.
She also encouraged rural entrepreneurs to utilise the Alibaba Cloud programme in Malaysia, which supports the development of smaller artificial intelligence (AI) models tailored for local small and medium-sized enterprises.
“Alibaba Cloud has launched the Digital Acceleration Programme, featuring three main initiatives designed to advance the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the country,” she said after officiating the PPU event today.
She highlighted that the key initiatives include training and funding for digitalisation startups, collaborations with universities, and Studio Models for Generative AI Development.
Rubiah noted that, as of today, a total of 67,508 rural entrepreneurs have been registered with agencies under KKDW nationwide, with most falling into the Pico category, defined as those earning less than RM60,000 annually in sales.
“Up to 85 per cent are Pico category entrepreneurs, meaning their income is only sufficient for subsistence,” she explained.
Rubiah added that if these entrepreneurs can increase their annual sales to more than RM150,000, they would be reclassified as small and medium entrepreneurs.
“This is why we hold the PPU programme - to enhance the competitiveness of our entrepreneurs through digitalisation training and to provide financing assistance,” she said.
-- BERNAMA
