KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — The 100 Go Digital programme initiated by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has spurred small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to keeping in step with the digital technology evolution amidst Covid-19 that has disrupted the economic structure.
MDEC said Terragrill Satay in Langkawi, Kedah was one of the SMEs that managed to cope with the economic downturn through the 100 Go Digital programme during the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) to curb the pandemic.
Terragrill Satay owner Zainah Abd Manaf said the programme that she participated in last year enabled her to increase production and expand her market to the Klang Valley, despite having to pull through with only a cafe and selling online to sustain her business during the MCO.
“At the outset of the MCO, I was also unable to operate at the night market due to the restrictions imposed but at the same time I began to explore the market outside of Langkawi by looking for distributors in the Klang Valley. When the interstate travel was allowed, I began sending satay to agents in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur,” she said.
Thus far, Terragrill has dispatched satay to Sabah four times with a total capacity of over three tonnes, while each trip to the capital and surrounding areas involved a capacity of 800 kilogrammes.
Zainah said she would capitalise on the knowledge that she acquired from 100 Go Digital programme to expand her business, including seizing the opportunities to market the Terragrill brand nationwide and overseas.
The 100 Go Digital programme, implemented with the help of local authorities, aims to assist and enable traditional businesses in key sectors to move towards digitalisation to improve efficiency in business management and customer experience.
Entrepreneurs, who are keen to know more about the 100 Go Digital programme, can visit the website https://mdec.my or 100 Go Digital Facebook.
On the recently announced National Economic Recovery Plan (Penjana), Zainah, who dominates the satay market on the resort island for almost 20 years, said she had applied for a micro-financing initiative funding of RM50,000.
“As I also own a satay factory, the financing will help me grow my business, and I am awaiting the approval process,” she said. — Bernama
