KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 214 applications from cooperatives have been approved for participation in the Prihatin Rakyat Cooperative Sales Programme as of December 31 last year, involving an allocation of over RM2.5 million, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said the programme was a sales incentive or subsidy for cooperatives that carried out retail activities to reduce the price of daily basic necessities, such as sugar, flour, cooking oil, rice, and eggs.
“This programme also aims to encourage the people to spend and purchase daily basic necessities at cooperative shops offering affordable prices compared to local markets,” he said during Question Time.
He said this in reply to a question by Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (Baling-BN), who wanted to know the measures taken and roles played by the ministry to enable cooperatives to help address the rising cost of living and prices of essential goods.
On March 30 last year, the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry launched the Malaysian Cooperative Transformation Plan 2021-2025 as a strategic document outlining transformation measures to empower the cooperative movement in the country.
Meanwhile, to help address the issue of rising goods prices, Noh said the ministry through the Cooperative Commission of Malaysia also implemented the Supply Chain Empowerment for Cooperatives Programme to ensure the consistent supply of consumer essential goods at affordable prices.
“Through this programme, cooperatives will play the role of a distribution centre or wholesaler that will make bulk purchases and then distribute the goods to retail stores that make up their network,” he said. – Bernama, March 17, 2022
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