TAWAU: Two more Small and Medium Industrial Product Centres (IKS) or IKS Marts will be opened in Sabah this year, namely in Tawau and Lahad Datu.
Assistant Minister of Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship, Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy, said there are eight IKS Marts which are centres for micro, small and medium enterprise entrepreneurs to place their products.
They are at Wisma Tun Fuad Stephens, Beaufort, Ranau, Papar, Kota Marudu, Pasaraya Oceanus and Tuaran.
The opening of the two new IKS Marts will give opportunities for SME entrepreneurs in Tawau and Lahad Datu to collect, exhibit, promote and sell products produced by local entrepreneurs from all over the district, thus increasing sales revenue.
Andi, who is also Kalabakan Member of Parliament and Tanjung Batu Assemblyman, said after officiating the Tawau Zone Sabah PKMS Entrepreneurs Carnival at the Tawau Municipal Council Square, here, Saturday.
He said his Ministry would also open another industrial park in the East Coast of Sabah in addition to the existing industrial park in the State.
“We will open an industrial park in the area between Kota Marudu, Kota Belud and another on the East Coast, possibly in Tawau,” he said.
He said the government’s initiative was to help further develop the industry in Sabah and provide facilities to investors to increase their investment.
He added that entrepreneurs could also take the opportunity from moving the Indonesian capital to Kalimantan in the future, to improve the local economy and the state.
Andi said the carnival aimed to help SMEs explore new market opportunities, increase sales, conduct business matches with supermarkets and introduce their products to residents in the East Coast area.
Thirty exhibition stalls under State and Federal Government agencies and 80 sales stalls of SME entrepreneurs and traders took part.
Andi urged SMEs to improve the products of entrepreneurs for the local and foreign markets which would increase job opportunities for the people.
He said the effort increased the contribution of the manufacturing sector to Sabah’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 7.5 per cent or RM5.9 billion in 2021 with 69 per cent from the Food Processing Industry comprising SMEs in the state.
Source: https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/217248/two-more-iks-marts-to-open-in-tawau-lahad-datu/