KUCHING, July 4 — Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi today urged Malaysians to give priority to Malaysia-made products when shopping to boost the growth of the local industries hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said high demand for domestic products would have a positive impact on the national economy and reduce the rate of unemployment as more job opportunities will be available.
He said the efforts of his ministry to hold Citarasa Malaysia programme is to encourage Malaysians to buy Malaysia-made products and at the same, to instil the spirit of patriotism among Malaysians.
“It is also for the industries and entrepreneurs to promote their products,” Nanta said at the soft-launch of Citarasa Malaysia programme at Vivacity Megamall here.
He said his ministry has allocated RM20 million to hold the programme nation-wide, adding that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will officially launch it later.
He said the buy Malaysia-made products campaign is in line with the wishes of the federal government to reduce reliance on imported products.
Nanta said all parties must join hands to help boost the growth of the local economy, local industries, and reduce relying on more expensive imported products.
He said during the Buy Malaysia-made Products Campaign last year, the overall registered sales value was about RM513 million, an increase of 23.3 per cent over that of 2018.
“Therefore, I urge all Malaysians to help boost the national economy by buying Malaysia-made products as their priority,” Nanta said.
He said the prime minister has stressed the need for the campaign to be a success as it would help to mitigate the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and boost the national economy.
“During the MCO enforcement in March, we were forced to stay at home and to stay safe, but it has given a negative impact on the national industries and economy,” he said.
