Ministry to help rural women set up business

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Women, Family and Community Develop­ment Ministry plans to churn out at least 1,000 women small-scale entrepreneurs every year.

Women Development Depart­ment director-general Datuk Dr Noorul Ainur Mohd Nur said that efforts were ongoing to raise the economic status of rural women.

“The ministry plans to produce the 1,000 women entrepreneurs through micro-enterprising yearly which basically consists

of businesses with annual in-comes below RM250,000,” she said in her speech at the launch of local brand of female personal hygiene products at a hyper-

market here yesterday.

Dr Noorul Ainur said a jasmine or bunga melor cultivation project was launched on Aug 30 in Raub while a lemongrass project was in the works.

She said it was also an achievement that 21% of the Malaysia External Trade Development Cor­poration members were women.

“These days, women are not just consumers but they are also producers,” she said.

Dr Noorul Ainur also hoped that more private companies would help market local brands managed by women to create a good platform for the companies to take flight.