KAJANG: Small-scale traders are hoping the government will address rising costs, modest earnings and weak consumer spending following its call to assess their incomes.
Traditional kuih seller Aina Nabilah Abdul Malek, 32, said she had turned to providing e-hailing services for women to supplement her earnings from the business she started in 2022.
Based in Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Cheras, she said her monthly earnings fluctuated, sometimes exceeding RM1,000 and sometimes falling below that amount.
“Sometimes, I feel like giving up because the income is low, but I am passionate about making kuih and still have the drive to keep going,” she said when met at the market held in conjunction with the 2026 National Hawkers and Small Traders Day.
Aina said rising ingredient costs and limited room to raise prices had squeezed her earnings, while difficulties with social media marketing meant she relied on face-to-face sales.
“I can’t charge too much for my kuih or people won’t buy them. I also have to make, market and sell them myself, so any help with marketing would make a big difference,” she said.
For crochet trader Asfaniza Mohd Jaffar, 49, attracting customers willing to pay for handmade products remained a challenge.
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She said some visitors browsed without buying, as tight household budgets meant non-essential purchases such as handicrafts had to wait.
“My earnings are very modest, although sales tend to improve around payday or festive periods,” she said, adding that cheaper imported products also posed stiff competition.
Asfaniza urged Kuskop to provide marketing support and help traders participate in larger events to reach more customers.
Federation of Malay Hawkers and Petty Traders Associations Malaysia president Datuk Zainal Abidin Abd Majid welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s emphasis on improving traders’ incomes.
He said the federation was working with the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department to provide traders nationwide with tools to boost productivity and income.
Zainal also welcomed the RM1 million allocation announced by Anwar to the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry (Kuskop) to coordinate assistance for hawker and petty trader associations.
“I believe this contribution will enable us to continue our efforts to help B40 hawkers progress,” he said, adding that the federation hoped to help them move out of the income group and strengthen their families’ finances.
Earlier, Anwar called on Kuskop Minister Steven Sim to work with trader associations to compare their average incomes with levels three years ago and identify shortcomings in existing support.