Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation

TUESDAY, 10 DECEMBER, 2019, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) pays homage to five Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who have made significant success in accessing world markets through digital platforms by using the eTRADE Programme facilitation. The recognition is given through MATRADE’s inaugural eTRADE Exporters Awards (eTEA) 2019.

The eTEA ceremony took place today in conjunction with the eCommerce Day 2019 at Menara MITI in Kuala Lumpur. The eCommerce Day 2019 was jointly organised by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and the Ministry of Communication and Multimedia (KKMM).

The eTEA 2019 categories are Women Award, Youth Award, Bumiputera Award and Cooperative Award while the main category is the Top Exporter Award. The winners of the eTEA 2019 are Wintech Metal Procession Sdn Bhd (Top Exporter), Worldwide Tractors Sdn Bhd (Women), AXG Industries Sdn Bhd (Youth), Tropical Bioessence Sdn Bhd (Bumiputera) and Koperasi Usahawan Groom BIG Perlis Berhad or KUGPIS (Cooperative).

According to MATRADE’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Exporter Development) Puan Sharimahton Mat Saleh, the eTEA aims to motivate local SMEs to expand their markets beyond just Malaysia by leveraging on digital platforms, in this case eMarketplaces. “The awards were given to local companies that have shown outstanding export performance. Their performance is based on the value of exports generated and number of markets they have accessed from their participation in the eTRADE Programme,” said Sharimahton.

“MATRADE believes the eTEA 2019 will serve as an inspiration for other Malaysian SMEs to start exporting and to venture into eCommerce to reach out to global consumers. With the eTRADE Programme, SMEs can enjoy facilitations in the form of financial support and capacity building so their success in digital export can be expedited. eCommerce helps companies save cost in accessing the world markets while at the same time allowing them to engage with the international consumers 24-7 too. I would like to urge Malaysian SMEs to learn from the success of the companies we’ve recognised today and follow in their footsteps to ensure their business remains relevant for a long time,” Sharimahton shared.

“We are also pleased to share that our eTRADE Programme will continue in 2020 and is now open for registration,” she added.

MATRADE’s eTRADE Programme was introduced in 2014 with the objective of accelerating Malaysian SMEs exports by leveraging on the power of eCommerce. eTRADE assistance is provided in the form of financial incentive (up to RM5,000) to partially cover the cost incurred in joining any of the eMarketplaces listed under the eTRADE Programme. Currently, there are 20 international and local-owned e-Commerce platforms in the eTRADE Programme such as Amazon.com, eBay.com, Alibaba.com, Minebizs.com, HalalStreet.co.uk, AVANA/Facebook and many others.

Since its inception, the eTRADE Programme has benefitted 3,337 Malaysian SMEs who have made inroads into markets such as Cambodia, Thailand, China, United States and Egypt. Among the top products SMEs in eTRADE Programme have sold online to the world include furniture, F&B, rubber products and machinery.

For more information on the eTRADE Programme, Malaysian SMEs can visit www.matrade.gov.my/en/etrade.