From roadside stalls to popular stores, most of them are operated by women. In many Kelantan households, women not only control the purse strings but are also the principal income generators with a majority of them involved in businesses.
The famous Siti Khadijah Market in Kota Bharu is a testament to the economic power wielded by the women of this state. Over 90 percent of the 2,400-odd traders operating there comprise women who slog diligently from dawn operating their stalls at the wet market section or selling groceries, food items and even clothes and gold jewellery.
Their ages ranging from 20 to 70, most Kelantan women entrepreneurs have business in their DNA, having inherited the skills from their mothers and grandmothers.
According to Siti Khadijah Market Bumiputera Petty Traders Association secretary Norazma Mohd Jaafar, in Kelantan, it is not unusual to see women figuring more prominently than men in businesses.
The clothing entrepreneur said women, in fact, contribute a great deal to the state’s economic development as they are involved in almost every part of the supply chain.
To cite an example, the serunding daging (meat floss) sold at the Siti Khadijah Market is supplied by (women) serunding operators from around the state such as Kampung Laut, Tumpat. So the latter also benefit when business flourishes at the main market,” she told Bernama.
HARDWORKING
The Siti Khadijah Market, which opened in 1985, has not only grown into an iconic tourism product but has also become a symbol of the Kelantan women’s steadfast commitment to succeeding in business.
The market is visited by 1,000 to 2,000 people a day during the festive season and school holidays. On other days, it receives about 500 to 1,000 visitors daily.
The three-storey building housing the market also serves as a centre for the collection and sale of agricultural produce, seafood and products generated by small and medium enterprises throughout the country. Even merchandise from neighbouring Thailand can also be found here.
Showing support for the indomitable spirit and perseverance of Kelantan’s female business community, various government and private agencies have been helping to empower them by providing capital and business guidance. Programmes have also been implemented to get more people from overseas to visit the state, in particular the Siti Khadijah Market.
Ahmad Nazri Che Omar, chairman of the Siti Khadijah Market Bumiputera Petty Traders Association, said the association is collaborating with government and private agencies to empower the business community, especially women entrepreneurs.
Among the agencies involved are TEKUN Nasional (National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund), Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), Companies Commission of Malaysia, MARA, Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Bank Simpanan Nasional and Tourism Malaysia.
Ahmad Nazri said to stimulate businesses after the gloom of the COVID-19 pandemic, the association has requested the agencies to organise programmes such as carnivals to attract more visitors and tourists to Kelantan.
He also urged the Kota Bharu Municipal Council to spruce up and beautify the 37-year-old Siti Khadijah Market building from time to time to ensure the comfort of the traders and tourists.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Meanwhile, Kelantan region AIM manager Mohd Abu Samah Mohd Daud said the microcredit organisation has funded about 45,000 women micro-entrepreneurs in the state.
This year alone, AIM has allocated a total of RM454 million to be extended as loans to women micro-entrepreneurs who are encouraged to participate in the digital economy.
Fatimah Harun, who is the Kelantan region Friends of AIM Representative Board chairman, called on the federal and state governments to develop the necessary infrastructure to support the development of Kelantan’s business sector.
Fatimah, who runs a rubber-related enterprise in Tanah Merah here, said infrastructure construction and modernisation are important to attract domestic and foreign investments, adding that development projects approved by the government must be completed as scheduled.
Among the ongoing infrastructure projects implemented by the state are the expansion and upgrading of the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport at Pengkalan Chepa and the Kota Bharu-Kuala Krai highway project.
Syarikat Kopi Cap Tangan proprietor Norini Ismail hoped that the government would continue to empower local communities by guiding and teaching them the necessary skills to benefit from the digital economy.
“The Ketereh Digital Hub and Malaysian Family Digital Economy Centre provide guidance to enable local entrepreneurs like me to be digitally savvy. I’m now able to market my coffee powder nationwide and even overseas through online platforms,” she said.
Ruziana Shafie, who operates an ikan patin aquaculture farm in Bachok here, said the use of online tools has helped to expand the market for her products to Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Kuala Lumpur.
By Mohamad Bakri Darus
