PUTRAJAYA, Jan 26 (Bernama) -- The International Trade and Industry Ministry is pursuing the agenda to help Bumiputera entrepreneurs through the various agencies under its purview following scrapping of the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry.

Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed gave the assurance Tuesday following calls from Bumiputera guilds and associations to reinstate the ministry.

"In fact, my ministry will further improve on the ways to help Bumiputera entrepreneurs," he told reporters after a dialogue with some 30 Malay Chamber of Commernce, guilds and associations and non-governmental Bumiputera organisations.

Asked on the prospect of reviving the dissolved ministry, Mustapa said the government had made a decision to scrap the ministry.

"We'll not retract the decision. We can only improve our ways and means to address the issues arising. I can assure them we will try to improve on the procedures to help them though they may feel left in the lurch," he said.

Eight ministries have been mandated to implement entrepreneurial development programmes after the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry was dibanded.

In his speech at the dialogue, Mustapa said his ministry had been entrusted with the task of implementing entrepreneurial training, promotions and marketing, planning and evaluation previously handled by the abolished ministry.

The SME Bank, which provides funds for Bumiputera SME entrepreneurs, had also been placed under Mustapa's ministry.

The minister said his ministry would play the lead role to develop Bumiputera entrepreneurs and to see their involvement in the manufacturing, services and international trade sectors.

To strengthen entrepreneur development programmes, Mustapa said that an entrepreneur development division, with four sections, had been set up in his ministry.

Close to RM100 million has been allocated this year to manage the four sections, he said.

The sections are National Entrepreneurship Institute (Insken); Coordination and Monitoring; Business Development and Marketing; and Bumiputera Business development.

Mustapa also said his ministry had identified and would implement six core strategies this year to help Bumiputera traders acquire business skills.

He said one of the strategies was to increase Bumiputera participation in professional services like finance and law as well as in logistics, eco-tourism and hotel sector.

-- BERNAMA