KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — A total of 29 companies have been selected to participate in the Business Exports Programme (BEP), which is spearheaded by Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Bhd (SME Bank) with the aim of producing Bumiputera exporters.

SME Bank president and chief executive officer Aria Putera Ismail said 18 of the companies are from the manufacturing sector while 11 are from the services sector.

This programme is implemented in collaboration with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) to train and produce more Bumiputera small and medium enterprise (SME) exporters through an allocation of RM30 million from the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC) for five years (2020-2025).

“Through structured intervention activities, they will be guided and supervised based on six parameters, namely production or technical, finance, manpower, export requirements, marketing as well as standards and regulations.

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“These six parameters will help the SMEs involved provide companies, products and services that can meet the demand and standards necessary to enter the international market,” he said in a speech at the launch of the programme by MEDAC minister, Tan Sri Noh Omar.

In addition, SME Bank also provides comprehensive free entrepreneurship training through its subsidiary, the Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research (CEDAR), so that SMEs can survive and compete in the larger and more challenging business arena.

Among the trade mission programmes that BEP participants will participate in are the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2021 from September 9 to December 31, 2021, and E-Biz Match with Ugandan entrepreneurs on September 28, 2021.

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Aria said SME Bank is also continuing the Let’s XCESS 2021 programme which provides SMEs access to financing and development in six territories nationwide.

To ensure the Let’s XCESS 2021 programme this time is comprehensive, Aria said, large companies or anchors such as Prowheels Distributor, Petro Teguh, Bateriku.com, Ayamas and Chatime will offer opportunities to entrepreneurs as franchisees or participants in their business programmes. — Bernama