MONDAY, 8 APRIL 2019, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2019 concluded on 6 April 2019 at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) with over RM1.6 billion of export value recorded, an increase of 5.7 per cent, indicating the event’s prominence as Malaysia’s and the world’s top halal trade fair. The figure included both the exhibition and International Sourcing Programme (INSP) sales.

Organised by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), MIHAS 2019 has congregated over 1,000 exhibitors from 44 countries and attracted trade visitors from 80 countries. In total, MIHAS 2019 has also recorded 29,946 visitors compared to 21,539 visitors in 2018.

According to MATRADE’s Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Wan Latiff Wan Musa, MIHAS has proven to be the platform of choice for local and foreign halal businesses alike. “MIHAS was incepted in 2004 with the idea to grow the local halal industry by capitalising on the power of international trade. After 16 years organising it, it is considered a springboard for Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to start exporting and for experienced exporters to strengthen their footprints abroad,” he said.

Complementing the achievements were 150 presentations of fora, conferences and seminars held in conjunction with MIHAS. In addition, there were 43 brand presentation sessions and 60 products launches at MIHAS 2019. MIHAS 2019 also made a history with the visit of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Al- Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. It was the first time for the event to be graced by Yang Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. MIHAS 2019 was also visited by Raja Muda Selangor Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

Among the key highlights of MIHAS 2019 were the INSP and MIHAS Awards. The INSP this year saw over 2,211 business meetings arranged for 610 local companies with 200 foreign buyers from 43 nations. Meanwhile, the MIHAS Awards has recognised 12 companies from both Malaysia and abroad for their creativity and innovation culture in the halal industry.

The various activities planned out for MIHAS were aimed to enrich all the experience of the participants and visitors. This is to ensure they will gain a stronger understanding on the business potential of halal within the supply chain of various industries, not limited to just Food & Beverages.

“As a market leader, it is important for Malaysia to play a greater role in promoting the understanding in halal beyond the conventional notion. That is why MIHAS featured clusters such as Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, Travel, Modest Fashion, eCommerce, Islamic Financing and Logistics,” Dato’ Wan Latiff said about MIHAS which was also one of the events for Global Halal Summit organised by Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) Malaysia.

A new segment for MIHAS 2019 was the Modest Fashion cluster that provided a platform for local and the region’s modest fashion players to highlight the industry areas of opportunities. The Modest Fashion segment was a product of a collaboration between Bumiputera Designers Association and MATRADE.

MATRADE is currently gearing up for its 17th MIHAS in 2020 to take into account world’s key events such as the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and APEC 2020. MIHAS 2020 is slated sometime in the end of Q1 of 2020. For more details on MIHAS go to www.mihas.com.my