JOHOR BARU, March 7 — Entrepreneurs in Johor have been urged to register with Perbadanan Usahawan Johor (PUJB) via the Johor Entrepreneur Data Centre (Padu) system to allow them to access the facilities and allocations provided by the corporation.

PUJB executive director Mohd Radzi Mohd Amin said as of yesterday (March 6), a total of 8,927 entrepreneurs had registered with Padu, which serves as an information collection centre for entrepreneurs in Johor.

"The entrepreneurs we seek to help are those who record sales revenue not exceeding RM300,000 a year, are licensed with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), and have been in business for at least six months,” he said on Bernama Radio’s "Nota Tebrau” programme today.

He said before Covid-19 hit the country, many entrepreneurs had already been given allocations or assistance under PUJB, channelled through the state government.

"This year, we have nine types of programmes worth RM11.7 million; and since January, PUJB has been promoting three types of programmes, namely the Johor SME Prosperity Grant, Jelajah Usahawan Johor (a product and service promotion programme), and Local Economy Development Programme,” he said.

Mohd Radzi also noted that about 60,000 entrepreneurs in Johor had benefited from various PUJB initiatives since 2016.

"Entrepreneurs need to have the right attitude or interest in running a business so that it stays relevant in Johor while also having the potential for expansion. Amid this Covid-19 situation, many businesses were unable to weather the challenges.

"However, a new breed of entrepreneurs has emerged following the pandemic. Previously, they were salaried employees working in factories or companies and were then laid off, but they have a bit of capital to start a business or become entrepreneurs,” he said.

Entrepreneurs in Johor who are interested in the facilities provided by PUJB can visit https://www.pujb.my. — Bernama