TAWAU: Keropok Amplang Bikmie (Amplang Bikmie crackers), an iconic product of Tawau, has the potential to be marketed internationally, said Deputy Chief Minister cm Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew.
She said her ministry through the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) will assist in efforts to promote this traditional fish-flavoured local product outside Malaysia.
It is understood that there is a demand for the Amplang Bikmie snack among consumers in countries like Singapore and Australia.
Currently, Rosmie Snack Industry Sdn Bhd (RSI) exports Amplang Bikmie crackers under the brand name of Bikmie to Peninsular Malaysia, apart from being sold here and in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Semporna.
(Bikmie is the abbreviation for Bibik Rosmie, the late pioneering producer of Amplang Bikmie crackers in Tawau, whose son Rozekin Suratman, 39, is now the director of RSI).
Liew said RSI’s ability to survive for more than 30 years in the food industry is a success story which should be emulated by other companies.
“RSI has generated job opportunities and contributed to the economic growth of Sabah in general and Tawau in particular. Kudos to the company for being the main pioneer in commercialising Amplang crackers which have stood the test of time.
“Amplang Bikmie snack has maintained itself as a symbol of Tawau being the first district in Sabah to commercialise this product.
“As MP for Tawau, I am proud that the district has produced yet another successful Bumiputera entrepreneur (Rozekin) who is taking the production of Amplang Bikmie to the next level,” she said when officiating at the opening of the new Amplang Bikmie Keropok Factory at Taman Unipark, here, Saturday.
The minister encouraged Rozekin to set up a product sales and showroom in the vicinity of the factory.
“This can be a new tourist attraction in addition to other hotspots in Tawau. A visit to this place of interest can be included in the Cuti-Cuti Tawau tour packages in collaboration with tour operators,” she suggested, adding that the snack can be given as a welcome gift to tourists upon arrival in Tawau.
In this respect, Liew said RSI must be ready to meet tourists’ foreseeable demand for the Amplang Bikmie snack.
Meanwhile, she presented certificates of appreciation to nine government departments and agencies for having contributed to the success of RSI. They were Tawau Vocational College, Mara, Pertubuhan Peladang (Farmers’ Organisation), Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR), Ko-Nelayan, Fisheries Department, SIRIM and SME Corp.
In his address, Rozekin, a father of three, paid tribute to his mother who passed away last year at the age of 66, saying her accomplishment had inspired him to carry on the family business.
“My late mum came up with a special home-made recipe and this has since become the family’s heritage.”
In 1985, Bibik Rosmie started the fish cracker production as a cottage industry when her son was only five years old. It was only in 2001 that Rosmie Bersaudara was set up as an enterprise for small-scale production to cater for the Tawau market. Two years ago, Rosmie Snack Industry Sdn Bhd (RSI) was incorporated to commercialise the product on a bigger scale.
