Sabah PKKM organises Hari Raya craft promotion from July 25

The Sabah branch of the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (PKKM) is organising an Aidil Fitri Craft Promotion 2013 at 1Borneo Hypermall, Likas, near here, for 11 days from July 25, 2013. Its Director Mohd Latif Dirun said the promotion was aimed at encouraging and introducing to the community particularly in Sabah to use local handicraft products in conjunction with the upcoming Hari Raya celebration. Besides that, he said the promotion would give opportunities for the handicraft entrepreneurs to market their products and act as a meeting place for traders, entrepreneurs, wholesalers and other sectors in preparation for Hari Raya celebration. "We also want to expand the craft market based on the high purchasing power among visitors to shopping malls," he said to Bernama here. Mohd Latif said the craft promotion would adopt an 'open sales' concept involving exhibition, craft products sales, demonstration and interactive or educational crafts. He said a total of 40 entrepreneurs including eight textile entrepreneurs from Peninsular Malaysia would participate in the craft promotion. The rest of the entrepreneurs are from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak which are involved in other craft segments. Earlier, Mohd Latif was quoted as saying that the Sabah branch of PKKM raked in craft sales of close to RM30 million through various craft promotion programmes in the state in 2012. He said this was the result of the One District, One Industry (SDSI) programme with overall sales of RM26 million, annual craft promotion programme at Lintasan Deasoka in Kota Kinabalu (about RM600,000), craft promotion programme at 1Borneo (RM800,000) and the balance was from sales by small traders.