PUTRAJAYA: Products produced by Chinese villages will be promoted nationwide, if the Selangor state government is successful in rebranding cottage industry products under Baik Selangor, says Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming in a joint interview with local Chinese media.

The products can also be presented to China as gifts when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim visits China in April, he said.

The gifts reflect the characteristics of Chinese villages in Malaysia, a unique resettlement scheme introduced by the British government during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) to separate the Chinese from communists after World War II.

After the Emergency in 1960, most of the new villages became permanent settlements.

Selangor Local Government, Public Transport and New Village Development Chairman Ng Sze Han, the mastermind of Baik Selangor, organized Baik Selangor competition to stimulate the economy of new villages.

Baik Selangor assists people involved in cottage industry to transform, and also new start-ups.

The Selangor state government has allocated more than RM100,000 for awards and purchase of the products.

The products are promoted nationwide and overseas.

Products with Baik Selangor certification stand a chance to become official gifts of the Selangor state government.

Nga praised Ng and the state government for rebranding cottage industry products under Baik Selangor for the products to yield higher value.

The Chinese New Villages Affairs Department is now back to Housing and Local Government at the federal level.