THE Penang government is encouraging more people to venture into the cooperative sector with the hope of having 500,000 cooperative members in the next two years.
State Domestic Trade, Consumer Affairs and Entrepreneurship Development Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain said currently there are about 128,000 members from 756 cooperatives in Penang.
“This is still considered a low figure when we compared with the total population of the state which is about 1.8 million people.
“People need to realise that cooperatives can play a significant role in helping to reduce the living cost of the community, especially to those in the B40 group.
“This is also in line with the state government’s policy to ease the financial burden of the less fortunate.
“Thus, we urge the people to become a cooperative member and participate in activities organised by cooperatives to boost their income,” Abdul Halim told reporters after officiating the programme known as ‘Melestari Perniagaan Koperasi Melalui Digital’ in Komtar today.
Also present was Malaysia Cooperative Commission (SKM) Penang director Zakaria Mat Jusoh.
Abdul Halim also urged all cooperatives in Penang to embrace the digital platform to promote and sell their products.
“Apart from their physical stores, they must market their products online to maximise their profits and also to thrive in the digital industry,” he added.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud