Budget 2025: Bidayuh women SMEs urged to tap into govt funding for business growth

MIRI (Oct 19): Bidayuh women entrepreneurs and those wanting to further boost their business are urged to take advantage of the allocation meant to help them in the business industry.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in presenting Budget 2025 in Parliament on Friday, announced that the government had allocated RM470 million for financing funds provided by SME Bank, Bank Simpanan Nasional, Bank Rakyat and Mara.

These funds are meant to support women’s micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in obtaining working capital, purchasing assets and increasing their business capacity to a higher level.

“This is a very positive move and I applaud the effort to help our local businesswomen move further in the industry.

“Our Bidayuh women should also take advantage of this opportunity to improve their business, especially in the cottage industry,” said Dayak Bidayuh National Association Miri branch chairman, Simon Ilus, when contacted today.

He added: “I have seen many Bidayuh women who are successful in their business. They all have their own specialties such as making and selling handicrafts, tailoring traditional attire, as well as running homestays in their respective villages.

“All these business women should take the opportunity of the funding to expand their business further. We can leverage on that budget incentive.” Simon also said although some were well informed, there were also those, especially in rural villages, who were not aware of the many assistance programmes provided by the government.

“This is where DBNA comes in, to help spread awareness of all these opportunities that are available for them.

“However, we cannot do this alone. We will work with the relevant agencies to hold events at villages, so that the villagers would not have to go far to get all the information. “In fact, we have already started doing this – the latest is an event at Kampung Bidayuh Lusut.

“We collaborated with several private and governmental agencies to hold the events that would allow the people to interact with representatives of these agencies directly.” Adding on, Simon said DBNA Miri was planning to make such event a regular progrmme, with the next one to hopefully involve more agencies.

“The outreach will not only be about our culture and our children’s education, but also on ways to help the Bidayuhs develop themselves financially.”

-Agency

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