By Olivia Miwil - July 1, 2021 @ 3:07pm
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah people should learn to use technology to help boost their businesses during this Covid-19 pandemic, said state Finance Minister 2 Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
"Under the current scenario, we stay more at home and spend less time outside. This has changed our lives and (with this) entrepreneurs have to recreate and reinvent their ways of doing business.
"There is no way to survive without using e-commerce, as it is difficult to find work outside at this time, " said Masidi, adding the state has always been going big on e-commerce and digitalisation.
The state Covid-19 spokesperson was speaking during the virtual launch of AirAsia's new e-commerce platform in Kota Kinabalu that offers food and groceries delivery services.
Masidi also expressed gratitude to the airline for choosing the city to kick start its platform where internet penetration is about 91 per cent for half a million population.
AirAsia group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said internet connection was never an issue as for the past 19 years, Sabah has been one of the airline's main markets for purchasing online flight tickets.
He added that AirAsia mobile platform has always been consumer friendly with low data usage including its Airasia super app.
Tony added that its Airasia food and Airasia fresh e-commerce platforms are different from other competitors as they offer lower rates that could benefit merchants and buyers, as well as ensuring better welfare for its workers.
"AirAsia (approach) has been very impactful for Sabah as we are a democratic airline and it is the same with our e-commerce services which do not only target a small population," he said.
For now, the super app is engaging 72 restaurants, 20 fresh produce merchants and 100 riders in Sabah to cover a 15 kilometre radius around the city for same day delivery services.
Tony added that they aim to expand the coverage areas to more districts in Sabah and more products including beauty items.
"In the larger context, launching Airasia fresh in Kota Kinabalu complements our bigger agri and logistics project for Sabah through Airasia farm - our B2B platform connecting farmers directly to businesses, providing an ideal eco-system in terms of supply chain and distribution for fresh produce within Sabah and for export.
"On that note, I am pleased to confirm that we will soon have a 6,000 square feet warehouse by Airasia farm up and running in Kota Kinabalu, serving as a 3-in-1 Agri centre with cold chain facility, office space and a dedicated training area.
"It will benefit local farmers and small and medium enterprises in Sabah to upskill and transform in the digital era," he said, adding people should go back to lucrative farming business.
For the Airasia farm in Sabah, there are 275 farmers on board which include 198 for vegetable, 34 poultry and 43 fishermen or dried seafood.
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