KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — Efforts to provide funding to promote the products of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) entrepreneurs to the international market will give them the opportunity to compete with global brands.

Pekasam (fermented fish) entrepreneur under the Shazam Pekasam brand, Sharifah Nurul Shahida Syed Abdul Rahman, 38, said such funds also enable entrepreneurs like her to enhance their product quality and meet the standards required for international marketing.

"If we want to market pekasam on a global scale, we need to meet international standards such as the quality of the packaging that facilitates worldwide delivery.

"The ingredients also need to be improved so that when marketed abroad, consumers can enjoy the same quality of taste as in Malaysia and at the same time attract the interest of new consumers,” she told Bernama.

At the National Entrepreneur Week and national-level SME Week 2023 opening ceremony today, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged SME Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp) to seek more funds to support MSMEs in promoting their products globally.

As for Muhammad Aimi Syafiq Rohaimi, 30, who runs the ‘Batik Ila’ textile business, the proposal was highly anticipated, especially when he and his wife planned to market their products to neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Singapore.

He said the business based in Marang, Terengganu can receive up to 400 orders for blouses, cardigans, t-shirts and children’s clothes weekly.

"A lot of sales are done online and also through carnivals. So I hope that with assistance in penetrating foreign markets, we can continue to grow. We also want to change the status from an enterprise to a sole proprietorship,” he said.

Meanwhile, sambal entrepreneur Surya Watie Salleh, 43, said such funds could help ease her financial burden as she has been using her own money to market her products abroad.

"Previously, my product was sold in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia and the response was encouraging, especially among Malaysian students.

"However, if we get help from SME Corp, we can expand our reach to more suitable markets in various countries,” she said. — Bernama