By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 3: Sarawak stands to benefit from a RM20 million allocation by the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP) this year to build and upgrade more ‘tamu desa’ (rural traditional markets) as part of efforts to empower rural entrepreneurs and improve market infrastructure in both Sarawak and Sabah.
Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said the funding includes an additional RM10 million announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the MADANI Rakyat Programme in Tawau last month, as reported by Bernama.
“Last year, we successfully completed 98 tamu desa across Sabah and Sarawak. With this year’s allocation, I hope we can achieve the same number or more,” he said after officiating the Kaamatan Festival in Kampung Pinasang, Kota Belud, Sabah, and launching a newly completed tamu desa in the village, which cost RM250,000.
Ewon noted that 14 of the 98 markets completed last year were in the Kota Belud area, with the facilities proving especially beneficial to women and small-scale entrepreneurs, offering them a more comfortable space to do business and host community activities.
He said applications for tamu desa development in Sabah alone had reached RM40 million as of May this year, excluding requests from Sarawak.
“Despite our limited budget, we are committed to continuing and expanding what we started last year. This programme will be one of the key components under the 13th Malaysia Plan (2026–2030),” he added.
The tamu desa initiative is part of the MADANI government’s rural economic empowerment strategy and reflects the federal government’s continued focus on inclusive development, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak. — DayakDaily
