Women step up presence in agriculture sector

PETALING JAYA: Findings from the 2016 Economic Census revealed that women are steadily increasing their presence in the agriculture industry, owning 1,541 companies in 2015, compared with 580 companies in 2010.

This represented a 21.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the period from 2010 to 2015, the Department of Statistics said in a statement released yesterday.

However, the biggest women’s ownership was seen in the manufacturing sector where women owned 9,546 companies in 2015, contributing 19.4% of the total number of establishments in the sector during the year.

Meanwhile, the department noted that the number of women-owned firms in the construction sector has grown to 2,622 establishments, with a CAGR of 13.8%.

In the real estate services industry, it said there were 1,068 women-owned companies, which comprised 6% of the total establishments with a CAGR of 7.9%.

The department added that women’s ownership in the information and communication services sector in 2015 also increased to 252 companies, compared with 184 companies in 2010, posting a CAGR of 6.5% per year. It accounted for 3.2% of the total establishments in this services, it said.

In addition, it said there were 53 women-owned companies in the water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities in 2015, which comprised 6.8% of the total establishments in the sector.

There were no figures reported on women owned-companies for the mining and quarrying, petroleum and natural gas, as well as the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply industries.

Economic Census, which is conducted once in every five years, is a statistical activity to collect comprehensive information on the profile and structure of the economy and business activities in Malaysia. The first Economic Census was conducted in 2001.