KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 -- The Small and Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia (Samenta) has warned that the United States' 25 per cent tariff on Malaysian exports could deal a severe blow to small businesses.

Samenta president Datuk William Ng said many export-oriented SMEs, particularly in manufacturing, would face an "economic earthquake" when the tariffs take effect on August 1.

Ng acknowledged the government's diplomatic efforts but called for urgent, on-the-ground support to help businesses survive the shock.

The group urged authorities to speed up the disbursement of previously announced aid, including RM1 billion in loan guarantees and RM500 million in soft loans.

"More importantly, these relief measures must be extended to dom...