LAPORANTAHUNAN 2014
Annual Report 2014
PERUTUSANPEGERUSI
Chairman's Statement
SEIRINGDENGANTRANSFORMASI
In SyncWithTransformation
08
The year 2014was a remarkable year
forMalaysia's trade despite themany
challenges in the global economy.Malaysia’s
trade performedwell beyond expectations,
rising 5.9 per cent to reach RM1.45 trillion.
Supported by strong uptake by almost
all ASEAN countries, higher demand for
manufactured products and recovery in
keymarkets such as the United States of
America (USA) and Japan, exports rose by
6.4 per cent to RM766.13 billion. 2014
marked another year of positive trade balance
andwas the 17th consecutive year of trade
surplus forMalaysia.This achievement was
astounding.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC)
remained asMalaysia’s largest trading
partner for the sixth consecutive year since
2009.Malaysia’s tradewith the PRC had
increased by 2.2% to RM207.85 billion
whileASEAN remained as an important and
strategic trading partner forMalaysia.The
region accounted 26.8% of Malaysia’s total
trade in 2014, valued at RM389.03 billion -
an increase of 3.9% from 2013.
Continued economic improvements in
advanced economies namely the USA and
several members of the European Union
resulted in spillovers to global economies,
includingMalaysia.
Exports to the European Union recorded a
double digit growth of 11.6 per cent as a
result of the expansion in economic activities
in several countries around the region.Also
registering a double digit export growthwas
the USAwith a surge in exports of E& E
products and othermanufactured goods, a
consequential impact of higher purchasing
power and improvement in the labour
market.
AsMalaysia’s national trade promotion
agency,we at MATRADE are always
committed towork together with other
government agencies, industry players and
Malaysian businesses to propel the country’s
exports to higher levels. I am immensely
proud to announce that last year,MATRADE
successfully organised a total of 143
programmes involving the participation of
8,072members of theMalaysian business
community.Total sales generated from their
participationwas RM 27.46 billion.
Our export promotion programmes comprised
various activities held inMalaysia aswell
as abroad inmarkets such as China,
Japan,Turkey, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia,
USA, Europe aswell as inASEANmember
countries.
In 2014, apart from organising theMalaysia
International Halal Showcase and INTRADE,
the annual international trade events held
in Kuala Lumpur since 2003 and 2008
respectively,MATRADE also leveraged on
various events to organise the incoming
buyingmissions such as the one held
in conjunctionwith theOil Technology
ConferenceAsia or OTCAsia.TheMalaysia
Services Exhibitionwas also brought to home
groundwhereMATRADE invited a number
of international buyers to attend scheduled
businessmeetingswithMalaysian services
providers, in conjunctionwith the International
Architecture, Interior Design&Building
Exhibition or Archidex 2014 and International
ConstructionWeek 2014.
At MATRADE,we realise the importance
of nurturing home grown businesses to
excel in the international frontier.With this
inmind, three new programmes aimed at
internationalisingMalaysian entrepreneurs
were introduced –Mid-Tier Companies
Development Programme (MTCDP), Go-Ex
Programme and eTRADE Programme.
Targeted to accelerate the growth of
MalaysianMid-Tier companies in the global
marketplaces, theMTCDP enrolled 52
companies under its first wave. Under this
initiative, tailor–made programmeswere
designed for each of the participantswith
the aim to improve their global presence and
enhance their brand visibility.The success of
theseMid-Tier companieswill consequently
increase high income jobs and generate
greater exports for the country.
TheGo-Ex Programme is one of the high
impact projects under theNational SMEs
Master Plan intended at enhancing SMEs
capabilities to spread their wings abroad.
This initiative involves export facilitation
through structured planning and technical
advice. In the programme,MATRADE officers
were selected to serve asmarket advisors
to the 45 companies selected under the
programme's first year.
Another programme launched in 2014
was eTRADE, a collaborative effort with
MultimediaDevelopment Corporation (MDeC)
under theDigital Malaysia initiative. It was
developed to promote exports of SMEs
through participation in leading international
e-marketplaces.A nationwide awareness
programmewas organised byMATRADE
in collaborationwithAlibaba in 2014
to encourage SMEs participation in this
programme.
OUTLOOK FOR 2015
With the realisation of theASEAN Economic
Community (AEC) andMalaysia assuming the
chairmanship of ASEAN, 2015 is expected to
offer opportunities forMalaysian companies
to enjoy even greater business linkages and
improved access to different markets around
theworld. In addition, the establishment of
theNational Export Council inDecember
2014, chaired by the PrimeMinister with
membership of keyministries and private
sector, aswell as corporate headswill also
play an important role in accelerating the
country’s export growth.MATRADEwill
continue to support Malaysian companies to
grow to optimal scale in the global market.
On behalf of the Board, I would like to
expressmy appreciation to all government
departments, agencies, trade organisations
andMalaysian companieswho supported
MATRADE in the implementation of its
programmes throughout 2014. I alsowish to
thankMATRADE staff for their contributions
and commitment that are vital to the success
of this organisation.
Dato’ Noraini Ahmad
Pengerusi /
Chairman
