Rural business outlet RBO@KPLB to start operating in October

The Rural Business Outlet (RBO@KPLB), a one-stop centre to market products of rural entrepreneurs will begin operating in October, said Rural Development Minister Datuk Abd Latiff Ahmad.

He said the first outlet will be located in Anggerik Mall, Shah Alam, which is managed by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).

Abdul Latiff added that the Rural Development Ministry (KPLB) and MARA is currently finalising potential products that will be sold at the outlet.

He said the products must be Malaysian made and have obtained halal certification, "Safe Food is the Responsibility of the Industry" (MeSTI) certification as well as the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certifications.

"For the pilot project, the ministry is targeting 50 entrepreneurs and 200 products," he said in a statement today.

He also said that RBO@KPLB is set up to meet the demand for products by rural entrepreneurs which were previously only sold in rural areas, at the Rural Entrepreneur Carnivals or at the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (MAHA) exhibitions.

The outlet will have a premium mini-market concept, offering rural entrepreneur products which are selected according to three clusters, namely food, fashion and crafts.

The RBO@KPLB aims to provide a sales platform for entrepreneurs to promote their products at the national level, helping them improve their business, boosting their sales and creating jobs for the locals.

-- BERNAMA