by BERNAMA / pic by RAZAK GHAZALI

LOCAL products recorded an increase of up to 1.8 per cent in sales value from July to September this year compared to the same period last year despite the country still struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi (picture) said that in the third quarter of the year, the sales value of local products amounted to RM1.621 billion compared to RM1.592 billion for the same period in 2019, an increase of more than RM28 million.

“This is a good sign for the retail sector as our country is still struggling with the pandemic.

“This was achieved through the initiative for Malaysian-made products to penetrate the retail sector in various foreign and local hypermarket chains as well as through the implementation of the Buy Malaysian Campaign (KBBM),” he said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a question from Datuk Seri Hasan Ariffin (UMNO-Rompin) regarding the mechanism the government uses to measure the effectiveness of KBBM to help move the economy affected by the pandemic.

Nanta said the campaign’s effectiveness was measured based on the reporting mechanism of total sales value in the retail sector in the country (foreign and local hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores) and online marketplace platforms involved in the campaign.

“The measurement mechanism also takes into account media viewership based on KBBM promotions via all media platforms in the country covering various networks, consisting of print media, electronic media and social media implemented throughout 2020,” he said.

As for promotional initiatives and media plans for the KBBM, he said the ministry achieved its objectives with a cumulative reach of more than 14,753,101 viewers/listeners across all platforms, including print, electronic, social and new media involving almost all major media owners in the country.

As such, he said the KBBM initiative was vital and able to revive domestic demands and restore the retail sector, especially in an effort to revitalise the country’s economy which has been affected by the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to contain the spread of COVID-19.