He said although infrastructure in rural areas has improved, more needed to be done to empower local communities in line with the government’s Rural Development Policy.

Officiating the Rural Entrepreneurs Mini Carnival at Dataran Kerayong here today, Ismail said entrepreneurs in rural areas can realise their potential by leveraging technology, which allowed them to market their products overseas.

According to a Bernama report, Ismail said rural development remained a priority for the government and this was evidenced by the RM10.93 billion allocation for the rural development ministry under Budget 2023. This allocation was 4% higher than the previous year.

Commenting on the mini carnival, Ismail said it was part of the ministry’s efforts to promote products made by rural entrepreneurs.