'Hers Fund' - Ministry allocates RM20m to assist rural women entrepreneurs

The Rural and Regional Development Ministry has allocated RM20 million this year under Harapan Entrepreneurship Realisation Strategy (Hers) Fund to assist rural women entrepreneurs to expand their business.

Minister Rina Mohd Harun said the fund launched today was triggered by the ministry’s concern for the interests of rural women in the field of entrepreneurship and to empower the group.

“The Hers Fund is a special programme that gives priority and importance to women entrepreneurs and aims to provide intensive guidance to enhance capacity based on the mentor-mentee concept.

“For starters, five successful women entrepreneurs from among the participants of the Rural Economic Funding Scheme will assist 40 other entrepreneurs to expand their businesses,” she told reporters after launching the Rural Entrepreneurs Carnival Northern Zone in Tasek Gelugor today.

There were 218 exhibitors including 162 rural entrepreneurs’ participating in the carnival.

Rina said there were 83,693 registered entrepreneurs in the country but only 27 per cent of them were women. Through the programme, she hopes the figure will go up to 40 per cent by next year.

Meanwhile, Rina said they were targetting to achieve RM40 million in sales with two million visitors for the entire carnival held in four locations, namely Midtown Perda, Penang; Kuala Terengganu, Terenganu; Kulim, Kedah; Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and Putrajaya this year.