Perbadanan Pembangunan Perdagangan Luar Malaysia

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016, TOKYO: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) marked a momentous occasion by signing a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to double their efforts in promoting trade between the two countries. The MoC exchanged was witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak and Japanese Prime Minister the Honourable Shinzō Abe.

MATRADE was represented by its Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Dzulkifli Mahmud and JETRO by its Chairman and CEO Mr Hiroyuki Ishige. The MoC signals a strong commitment between the two countries to intensify co-operation in areas of mutual benefits such as facilitation in trade promotion activities, exchange of information, collaborations in specific programmes and projects to promote the Halal sector, among many others.

At the event, YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak has recommended for Malaysia to be Japan’s Halal Advisor in preparation for its Olympics 2020, particularly in providing advice on shariah compliance for products and services to be supplied to the Muslim consumers during the world’s sporting event.

The MoC was an initiative during a Trade and Investment Mission to Tokyo led by YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak aimed at enhancing bilateral trade and investment between the two nations. According to Dato’ Dzulkifli Mahmud, Japan regards Malaysian brands of the highest quality,hence earning Malaysia the loyalty from the Japanese consumers. “We foresee a great demand to surface from the Tokyo Olympics event, especially in the Halal segment,” he said.

Japan also remains among Malaysia’s largest sources of foreign direct investments in the manufacturing sector. Japanese investors are mainly active in sectors such as Electronics & Electrical products, non-metallic mineral products, basic metal products, petroleum products including petrochemicals, chemicals and chemical products, as well as transport equipment.

A lot of Malaysian companies have made inroads into Japan, with some venturing into the area of Halal restaurants. Some of the brands include Brahim’s Food Japan Co. Ltd. that offers authentic Malaysian Halal food, Les’ Copaque Japan Co., Ltd. which has opened two Halal restaurants called Saishoku Teppan Ippin and Ippin Asakusa as well as Harq Food Industry Sdn Bhd that owns Wadihana Malaysia Halal Restaurant in Kyoto. Some other Malaysian brands that have a presence in Japan are Top Glove, S.Kian Seng, Julie’s, Carotino and Bonia, just to name a few.

Likewise, Japanese companies too, have ventured in Malaysia through brands like Nippon Express which is the first Japanese logistics company to acquire Halal logistics certification in Malaysia. Others include familiar names like Daiso, Panasonic, Sanyo, Honda, Fuji Electric and Sony. For 2016, there are 12 trade promotion programmes organised by MATRADE in collaboration with JETRO, The Japanese Chamber of Trade & Industry, Malaysia (JACTIM), Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) and ASEAN Japan Trade Centre. These programmes include trade fairs, marketing missions and international sourcing programmes.

In 2015, Japan was Malaysia’ 4th largest trading partner after China, Singapore and the United States of America, with an export value of RM127.40 billion (USD 32.77) billion recorded. Export with Japan in 2015 stood at RM73.81 billion and imports were RM53.59 billion. The top-5 Malaysian exports to Japan in 2015 were Electrical & Electronics products, Chemicals & Chemical products, Petroleum products, Palm Oil & Palm-based agro products and Liquefied Natural Gas.

KUALA LUMPUR, NOVEMBER 9, 2016 – Malaysia’s leading trade fashion and lifestyle event, Malaysia Fashion Week (MFW), a project by INTRADE which took place from 2 to 5 November 2016 concluded with a stirring success. The event generated potential sales of RM 201.90 million, a 58.3% increase as compared to last year’s edition.

The sales breakdown generated throughout the 4-day event is:
• Trade Exhibition : RM 78.55 million,
• International Sourcing Programme (INSP): RM 54.45 million and
• Premium & Fashion Buyers Meetings: RM 68.90 million.

The key highlight of the event was the International Sourcing Programme (INSP) where a total of 1,500 business meetings were arranged between 122 international buyers from 24 countries and nearly 300 Malaysian suppliers. The top five markets that have registered highest potential sales following the business meetings were Qatar, Egypt, United Kingdom, Thailand and Kazakhstan.

MFW, a project by INTRADE is Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation’s (MATRADE) signature event held annually. For the past three years, through a strategic public-private partnership, MATRADE has collaborated with Stylo International to organised MFW, a project by INTRADE. INTRADE on its own is a renowned international trade fair organised by MATRADE for the past 10 years.

Positioned as the sole trade event dedicated for the fashion and lifestyle sector, the event this year featured 308 booths of which 85% were taken up by Malaysian companies and the remaining 15% by international businesses from 16 countries. There were six clusters introduced at the event namely Fashion, Textiles, Art and Handicrafts, Cosmetics and Beauty care, Interior Furnishings as well as Jewellery.

Chief Executive Officer of MATRADE, Dato’ Dzulkifli Mahmud said, “Malaysian fashion and lifestyle sector is rapidly growing and MATRADE recognised the importance to highlight Malaysian capabilities in this sector to the world. We are extremely pleased to have surpassed the target of 10% to 15% set for the event and this success clearly proves that the sector, which is categorised as soft exports, is a high potential export segment that must be given top priority.”

“The event is also testament to the Government’s initiative to drive exports contribution from the sector to the Malaysian economy,” he added.

For more details, visit malaysiafashionweek.my or follow Malaysia Fashion Week on Facebook/Instagram.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016, KUALA LUMPUR: The Third Country Training Program (TCTP) 2016 held from 24 October - 2 November 2016 proved to be a huge success with various knowledge in trade imparted to the African participants. The capacity building program was a collaborative effort between Malaysia & Japan, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia and Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is the main agency supporting the programme.

Thirteen participants who are government officials from countries such as Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania & Zimbabwe attended the 10-day programme which covered a wide range of briefings focusing on trade, investment, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) development, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development, start-ups as well as agriculture-based production and management.

Other agencies, Government Linked Companies and private companies that have participated in the TCTP included Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), SME Corp, Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGiC), Felda Global Ventures (FGV), CIAST, Perodua, Asian Aerospace City & Hyrax Oil.

According to MATRADE’s Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Dzulkifli Mahmud through the TCTP MATRADE as Malaysia’s trade promotion agency is able to contribute to the development of third-world countries through knowledge-sharing initiative. “Such effort will provide invaluable knowledge for the participants to apply back in their home country, in developing their local industries,” he said.

During the programme, MATRADE had also launched the Alumni of Malaysia Technical Cooperation Program (MTCP / TCTP) on trade promotion to provide a platform for continuous communication and exchange of ideas and information among the participating countries.

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 November 2016 - Malaysia Fashion Week 2016 (MFW), a project by INTRADE which started yesterday until 5 November 2016, offers an opportunity for local entrepreneurs particularly women-owned and youth-owned businesses to start immersing their operations in exports.

Launched by Minister II of International Trade and Industry YB Dato’ Seri Ong Ka Chuan yesterday, the MFW 2016 brings together various fashion brands, designers and associations from around the region to Kuala Lumpur to connect and discuss business partnerships with participating Malaysian players. Over 200 international buyers are present at the event just waiting to discover Malaysia’s capabilities in the lifestyle and fashion industry.

The MFW, organised by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and Stylo International, features a group of female entrepreneurs under the patronage of an association called Peniagawati (Persatuan Wanita Bumiputra Dalam Perniagaan dan Profesyen Malaysia) which roles are to facilitate the capacity building of entrepreneural skills among its members.
In Peniagawati’s participation at the event, the association occupies 8 exhibition booths for its members, allowing them to showcase their various fashion and lifestyle products to the visiting trade buyers and the public.

One of the women-owned brands at MFW, Tanoti Crafts which specialises in handwoven songket products from Sarawak, believes that the MFW not only provides them with the opportunity to meet international buyers and foster business opportunities, but also to encourage them to promote the culture from Sarawak to a global audience and this brings about more promotion for the country.
As for the youth, the MFW has introduced a segment called  X-STYLE where University and College Students are given a space to feature their designs and learn the many aspects of the industry. The students participating are from IACT College, Raffles College, Sunway University and a few others. Other youth associations participating in MFW2016 include Malaysian Association of ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs (MAAYE) and Platform to Engage and Empower Rakyat.

Complementing these is an event called the International Sourcing Programme (INSP) – MATRADE’s signature business matching programme that matches local brands with international buyers. This year, over 1,400 business meetings have been arranged for local fashion players with potential international partners.

According to Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry YB Datuk Haji Ahmad Haji Maslan, the MFW is positioned as a springboard for Malaysian fashion companies and designers to start their global business. “ MFW is a public-private initiative aimed at elevating the profile of Malaysia as a fashion capital in the region,” he said.

“Being a multi-racial country, Malaysia is a melting pot of cultures, religions and backgrounds, making the nation one-of-a-kind. Fashion, in a region as diverse as Asia, is exciting but challenging too at the same time.  We hope MFW will provide a conducive environment for fashion players from around the world to create and innovate fashion while trading and learning with one another,” said YB Datuk Haji Ahmad Haji Maslan.

Exports of lifestyle and fashion products or also known as ‘soft exports’ for the past recent years have been gaining momentum. In 2015, soft exports rose double digit by 13.2 percent to RM36.91 billion as compared to RM 32.61 billion in the previous year. In the first eight months of 2016, soft exports continued to register steady growth of 5.3 percent to record RM24.76 billion as against RM 23.51 billion in the same period of last year.

External demand continues to generate ample opportunities for local enterprises especially women and youth to expand their horizon globally despite the global economic uncertainties. For soft exports, the USA topped the list of major markets with RM3.79 billion worth of exports last year, followed by the Singapore (RM3.31 billion), UAE (RM3.01 billion), Japan(RM1.89 billion), Australia (RM0.94 billion), China (RM0.84 billion), Turkey(RM0.60 billion), Indonesia(RM0.55 billion), Vietnam (RM0.50 billion) and South Korea (RM0.48 billion). These top ten markets accounted for 71 percent of Malaysia’s total exports of lifestyle goods.

Taking place at the MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC), the MFW is the largest trade fashion and lifestyle event in the country, featuring a dedicated fashion and lifestyle exhibition featuring over 300 booths spread over 32,800 square feet of exhibition space. The exhibition features six main clusters - fashion, apparel and accessories; jewellery; beauty, hair products and cosmetics; arts and handicrafts, lifestyle and interior decor; textile and peripherals. Complementing the exhibition are hourly fashion shows by local and international designers, gala events, tribute galleries and a Premium Outlet Sale, among many others.

MFW 2016’s official partners are Epson Sdn Bhd, Malindo Air, United Overseas Bank (UOB), Spectrum, IACT College & Brickfields Asia College (BAC), Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar, A Cut Above, Malaysian Hairdressing Association (MHA), Ortea, Cium Kissable Lipbalm, Empro, Slimming Sanctuary, Fortunate Coffee, Coway and Grabcar.

For more details, please visit malaysiafashionweek.my or follow Malaysia Fashion Week on Facebook/Instagram.