KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) plans to increase bumiputra and women entrepreneurs’ contribution to the country’s total exports to more than 20% by 2015.

Deputy chief executive officer Datuk Zakaria Kamarudin said currently, the contribution from both bumiputras and women entrepreneurs was less than 20%.

“We are hoping that the Government, under the 10th Malaysia Plan, would allocate more funds to boost the contribution from these entrepreneurs towards our exports.

“We are targeting 200 new exporters from the two groups by 2015,” he told a press conference prior to graduation ceremony of Matrade’s bumiputra and women entrepreneurs programmes yesterday.

Zakaria said the two programmes to develop more bumiputra and women exporters had an annual fund of RM5mil but Matrade was hopeful that the Government would increase the fund to RM30mil by 2015.

He said one of the reasons for the small contributions by the bumiputra and women entrepreneurs was limited funds to support their business activities.

Nineteen companies have participated in the Matrade programmes for the bumiputra and women entrepreneurs from 2008 to 2010, and they have taken part in 106 trade promotion activities to the overseas markets.

Among the companies that have participated in programme are Myvac Technology (M) Sdn Bhd, Noraini Cookies Worlwide Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Hang Tuah Sdn Bhd.