Kelantan To Strengthen One Village, One Industry Initiative

KOTA BHARU, Aug 18 -- The Kelantan government aims to strengthen the One Village, One Industry initiative by focusing on developing the potential of each village to produce competitive local products.

State Investment, Industry, Human Resources, Trade and Entrepreneurship Committee chairman Major (Rtd) Datuk Md Anizam Ab Rahman said the initiative would not only help increase residents’ income, but also nurture more entrepreneurs, including in rural areas.

“In Thailand, the One Village, One Industry initiative is very well known. We, too, have the opportunity to implement this initiative, which has proven to be effective and beneficial. We need to revive it, as it was previously implemented here but later discontinued.

“For example, Kampung Laut in Tumpat is famous for its serunding-based products. This initiative can be expanded to other villages with different types of products, especially since Kelantan is well known for its food industry,” he told reporters.

Md Anizam said this after opening the 'Thailand-Malaysia Trade Partnership Forum 2025' here today, which was also attended by the Consul General of Thailand in Kota Bharu, Mr Phasit Chudabuddhi.

Commenting further, he said Kelantan is committed to strengthening trade ties with Thailand, particularly in the tourism sector and cross-border trade.

“We are identifying products with strong potential to penetrate the Thai market and vice versa. For example, while Malaysian and Thai batik may appear similar, their motifs are different — and this uniqueness can be promoted. We also see opportunities for Kelantanese food products that are not available in Thailand.

“However, in expanding bilateral trade, we must also pay close attention to security issues, smuggling, and customs and immigration controls. These areas must be improved to facilitate legitimate trade while curbing illegal activities,” he said.

He added that the forum not only serves as a platform to explore the marketing potential of local products but also to address the pressing issue of smuggling along the state’s borders.

-- BERNAMA