SEREMBAN: A total of 275 out of 787 cooperatives in Negeri Sembilan were recorded as inactive or dormant as of December 31 last year.
State Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Climate Change, Cooperatives and Consumerism Action Committee chairman S. Veerapan said the state government remains committed to revitalising these dormant cooperatives.
He stated that the government is collaborating with the Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission (SKM) on various initiatives including guidance, training, and restructuring programmes.
“Internal management issues, including financial challenges, are among the main reasons cooperatives become inactive,” he told Bernama at the state-level Asas Keusahawanan Koperasi (AKSI) programme.
Veerapan emphasised that cooperatives play a vital role in contributing to national income and the state’s Gross Domestic Product.
“We will do our best to revive them so that they can continue to grow, increase their income, and remain competitive,” he added.
He stressed that efforts to reactivate dormant cooperatives are crucial to strengthening the local economy and creating more opportunities for the community.
State SKM director Radiatul Fitri Dollah was also present at the event where nine out of 128 school cooperatives participated in the AKSI competition.
Radiatul explained that AKSI, rebranded from the Young Entrepreneurs Strive for Success programme introduced in 2017, serves as a platform to nurture entrepreneurial culture among students.
He said the programme aims to produce young entrepreneurs with critical and creative thinking while instilling leadership, teamwork, and innovation through school cooperatives.
Radiatul revealed that as of December 31, 2024, a total of 128 school cooperatives were recorded in the state.
These school cooperatives generated 29.89 million ringgit in revenue out of the state’s overall cooperative revenue of 187.05 million ringgit.
The school cooperatives also had 105,810 members with a share capital of 1.43 million ringgit and assets worth 27.12 million ringgit.
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato Sheikh Ahmad Seremban was named winner of the Best Project Award at the competition.
Its guiding teacher Nordiana Ishak expressed gratitude after their ‘Roti Surprise’ project driven by the school’s special education students was named champion.
The project will now represent Negeri Sembilan at the national competition on October 28. – Bernama