KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — Lazada Malaysia and the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) are accelerating digitalisation among the local farmers and the overall agricultural sector through the Onboarding of Agrofood Products on eCommerce Platform programme.
The pioneer initiative, supported by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), will see hundreds of local farmers kick start their digital journey on Lazada’s e-commerce platform, the organisations said in a joint statement.
The programme is part of MDEC Belanjawan 2021 E-commerce Initiative umbrella.
Fama, which will connect its network of farmers to the platform, has set a sales target of RM1.5 million, which will benefit 121 Fama registered entrepreneurs and involve around 600 stock-keeping units, said Fama deputy director-general (development) Datuk Mohamad Mustahapa Awang.
“The programme will then be extended to the over 50,705 entrepreneurs in Fama’s network. Additionally, Fama is further facilitating the digitalisation of entrepreneurs to increase their income through online platforms in line with the Industry Revolution 4.0,” he said.
Lazada Malaysia chief executive officer Magnus Ekbom said the e-commerce platform will provide the newly onboarded agricultural entrepreneurs access to Lazada University, which will provide assistance in setting up their digital stores, as well access to various digital tools to operate and improve their online selling capabilities.
A survey by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) found that 91 per cent of local farmers faced difficulties in selling agricultural products in the early stages of the movement control order (MCO) in 2020, the statement said.
— Bernama
