KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- Small and Medium Enterprise Corp Malaysia (SME Corp) will set aside 10 per cent of the RM19.10 million allocated under first rolling plan for women enterprises beginning this year, says Chief Executive Officer Datuk Hafsah Hashim.

She said the corporation understood the plight of women entrepreneurs and the challenges gaced by them.

"Currently, less than one per cent of the funds have been disbursed to them. But the funds are not our focus right now as it is only an enabler. Entrepreneurs need to follow all the programmes planned by SMECorp and assist them based on their real needs to grow," she told reporters after launching Alliance Bank 2011 Women Entrepreneurs' Forum here today.

Currently, Hafsah said more than 12,000 women entrepreneurs were involved in various SME Corp's programmes.

Meanwhile, the National Mark of Malaysian Brand has certified 24 companies and the target was to have 30 companies certified by year-end.

The National Mark of Malaysian Brand which symbolises quality, excellence and distinction was introduced by the government to certify SMEs producing products that illustrated characteristics of the Malaysian Brand.