Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation

MONDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2019, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s renowned global business matching, International Sourcing Programme (INSP), scheduled to take place in conjunction with the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2019 will match more than 400 Malaysian companies with 150 high quality importers from over 40 countries around the world. The buyers and sellers will go through 2,000 business meetings during this one-day event.

The INSP, coordinated by MIHAS’ organiser, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) will take place on 2 April 2019 at Menara MATRADE in Kuala Lumpur. The INSP will commence a day before MIHAS exhibition starts. Since 2005, the INSP in conjunction with MIHAS has been helping more than 7,000 Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and generated more than RM 21 billion in cumulative trade for the companies.

According to MATRADE’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Wan Latiff Wan Musa, the INSP is one of the Small and Medium Enterprises’ (SMEs) most sought after events as the local companies get to meet global buyers from the world without having to fork out hefty travelling fees. The sectors involved in the INSP include Islamic Finance, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics, Food & Beverages, Muslim friendly Tourism, Digital and e-Commerce as well as Logistics – all of which are MIHAS’ focus sectors.

“The INSP is a very effective platform for Malaysian companies to pitch their brands to the global buyers. They get to have a direct and personalised communication with their potential buyers and this increases their chance to secure export deals,” he said.

“The Programme is also highly effective as we match the Malaysian companies with foreign buyers who have specified their sourcing interest early and these buyers are also credible and have been vetted by MATRADE. Likewise, global buyers prefer to attend business matching by MATRADE because they know we only feature Malaysian companies who are export-ready, equipped with relevant certifications and offer high quality products or services at a comparative price,” Wan Latiff explained.

This effort gives multiplying positive impacts to the country too, particularly in the promotion of Malaysia as an ideal business tourism destination. “A lot of the foreign buyers mark the event in their calendar annually. As for the newcomers, they often expressed their surprise after witnessing how vibrant Kuala Lumpur city is and the comprehensiveness of our halal ecosystem,” said Wan Latiff.

The INSP is MIHAS’ key highlight and complements MIHAS as the world’s largest halal trade fair. Complementing the INSP is a specialised Hosted Buyer Program and an online meeting scheduler called MIHAS Connect. This year, the Hosted Buyer Program brings premium buyers from around the world representing wholesalers and retailers to connect with MIHAS exhibitors (including non-INSP participants) on the show floor.

MIHAS 2019 will mark the event’s 16th edition and will take place from 3 to 6 April 2019 at the Malaysia International Trade Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur. The event gathers
exhibitors and trade visitors from over 70 countries from all over the world namely the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, China, Belgium, France, Turkey, India, Palestine, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and many more. MIHAS is a yearly awaited grand network session amongst the halal-certified brands, manufacturers and distributors. Dubbed the Olympics of Halal products and services, the congregation of world players at MIHAS will promote the growth of global halal industry.

The world’s leading halal trade fair offers networking and learning opportunities for the international trading community too, through industry-renowned fora and talks by experts from
the halal industries. Through these activities, exhibitors and visitors will be able to maintain their competitive edge in competing globally.

A few series of seminars and conferences will also be held concurrently with the exhibition. Some of these key programmes include MATRADE Trade Talk, Halal Trade Finance Conference, MyPitch@MIHAS, Halal Innovation Forum, Global Ethical & Sustainable Economy Conference, IMHalal Conference and Halal in Travel Conference.

Those interested to register in MIHAS 2019 INSP can email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more details on MIHAS 2019, visit www.mihas.com.my.