Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Malaysia’s national trade promotion organisation, is all set to organise National Export Day 2019 (NED 2019) as an effort to mobilise Malaysian exporter community to further grow their global footprint amidst an increasingly challenging economic landscape.

The event, which will take place at Menara MATRADE on 24 October 2019 will attract over 1,000 participants, ranging from businesses which are export-ready to those gearing to expand their sales beyond the Malaysian shores for the first time.

As it carries the theme which is ‘Sustainability and Inclusiveness’, NED 2019 is expected to attract Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Mid-Tier companies and Government-linked companies from all industries including Food & Beverages, Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Construction, Logistics and Electrical & Electronics. Efforts have also been made to live stream the proceedings to all of MATRADE’s state offices including those in Sabah and Sarawak as well as MATRADE’s trade offices around the world.

“Our aim is clear and simple, we want as many Malaysian companies to get access to this event to not only secure insights but also be energised and motivated to kickstart their venture in exporting as well as to provide guidance to existing exporters so they can grow further. This is crucial to ensure Malaysia will have sufficient and strong pool of exporters to help our nation maintains its positive trade performance,” said Dato’ Wan Latiff Wan Musa, the Chief Executive Officer of MATRADE.

In 2018, Malaysia’s total trade breached the RM1 trillion mark (RM1.004 trillion) for the first time ever and based on the latest data, for the first eight months of 2019, total trade stood at RM1.209 trillion.

According to him, towards this end the programme was developed to encompass various key issues that will be relevant to the Malaysian export community. These issues will include those related to global trade friction, transforming local champions to global leaders, governance and critically sustainability.

NED 2019 is part of MATRADE's Corporate Shared Values (CSV) initiative called SUSTAINABILITY ACTION VALUES FOR EXPORTERS or SAVE. Through SAVE, MATRADE is taking a leadership role in championing the adoption of sustainable practices among Malaysian companies based on United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The NED is also an excellent platform for Malaysian companies to engage with their respective industry players as well as with MATRADE officers to seek clarification on MATRADE’s facilitation and how they can leverage on the export incentives announced during the recent Budget 2020. “They will also get the opportunity to be consulted by MATRADE’s officers who have served as Trade Commissioners (TCs) overseas. These former TCs will be able to give them valuable insights based on years of market assessments,” he pointed out.

The speakers who will be featured in NED include YB Datuk Ignatius Darell Leiking, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Professor Lim Chin Leng, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Ms. Rina Neoh, Co-Founder of Ficus Venture Capital Sdn Bhd. The MATRADE’s former TCs who will be speaking at the event are those who were based in Almaty, Ho Chi Minh City, Yangon, Chengdu, Rotterdam, Seoul and Tokyo.

TUESDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2019, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), with the support from Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) will be organising more than 500 business-to-business meetings in conjunction with the 10th International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM 2019) at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from 9 – 10 October 2019.

The effort called International Sourcing Programme (INSP), which is MATRADE’s signature facilitation to connect Malaysian suppliers with foreign buyers. The INSP is a customised business matching sessions conducted to coincide with international events held in Malaysia.

According to S.Jai Shankar, the Director of Oil and Gas, Chemicals and Energy at MATRADE, the spread of buyers that this INSP has attracted is a testament to MATRADE’s capacity to source for buyers from almost all continents in the world. “Our 46 offices worldwide are ultimately the catalyst for the success of these INSPs as they invest a great deal of time to identify these buyers,” he noted.

Jai Shankar pointed out that MATRADE’s Trade Commissioners worldwide managed to attract the participation from 32 foreign buyers from 23 countries including Argentina, Netherlands, Qatar, Nigeria, Japan, Kuwait, Egypt, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, India, Panama, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Pakistan, India, Poland, and the USA.

The foreign buyers are sourcing a wide variety of products such as lighting equipment & accessories (LED Street Lights, Outdoor Lighting), Display Products (LED),Household Electrical Appliances, Biodegradable Packaging And Container, Biomass Products, Lighting & Accessories, Solar Photovoltaic, Architectural & Decorative Products, Filtration / Waste System, Floor & Wall Tiles, Roofing, Insulating Materials, Doors, Windows, Gates, Fences, Frames & Related Products, Paints & Coating, Pipes, Tubes, Valves & Fittings, Sanitary Fittings as well as services; Environment Management Services, Environment Management, Consultancy Services and Printing Services Green Printing Solutions.

In the supply side, MATRADE worked closely with associations to enhance accuracy of the matching process. “Among others we collaborated with Malaysia Green Building Confederation, The Electrical and Electronics Association of Malaysia (TEEAM), Malaysia Biomass Industries Confederation, Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association and Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, to identity the right suppliers, apart from leveraging on MATRADE’s own substantial database of exporters,” Jai added.

He urged Malaysian companies interested to be part of the INSP to meet up with the MATRADE team at IGEM 2019.

IGEM is South East Asia’s largest trade event for green technologies and eco solution, generating billions in business leads, boasting an attendance of over 350,000 visitors including delegates, dignitaries and companies from over 50 countries. It is organised by the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change and Malaysian Green Technology Corporation.

SUNDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2019, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) urges Malaysian Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as Mid-Tier companies to fully leverage on the perks announced in Belanjawan 2020 by incorporating export plan in their business strategy or enhancing their readily-available export plan for 2020 and beyond.

In the Belanjawan 2020 announcement on Friday, Malaysian companies will enjoy more benefits from MATRADE’s Market Development Grant (MDG) and export promotion efforts following the increment of the claim ceiling per company for the MDG, from the current RM200,000 to RM300,000. The ceiling for the participation in international trade fairs will also be revised upwards from RM15,000 to RM25,000. In addition, the Government will allocate RM50 million to encourage SMEs to engage in more export promotion activities.

According to MATRADE’s Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Wan Latiff Wan Musa the move is a strong indication of the Government’s aspiration to develop more global champions among Malaysian exporters. “MATRADE is optimistic that the allocation will be a catalyst to facilitate the access of local companies to not only markets such as ASEAN, China and United States of America but to emerging markets too, such as Central and South Asia, West Asia, Africa and Latin America. This is indeed a great news for Malaysia’s export community and MATRADE will be the engine to mobilise its resources in helping Malaysian companies realise their export sales,” he said.

Moving into 2020, MATRADE will focus its export promotion activities on emerging high-value sectors such as aerospace, automotive, medical devices, halal, creative content, eCommerce and services, among others. “It is imperative for us to expand Malaysia’s export capabilities in more areas other than conventional sectors like Food & Beverages or Furniture. Promotion in these sectors will be continued still, but will be centred around more niche areas such as manufacturing services and design engineering. This is in line with our strategy to diversify Malaysia’s top exported products too,” Wan Latiff shared.

The trade promotion organisation will also be championing the growth of Malaysian exporters in sustainable practices and responsible business. “We need to develop a pool of exporters who are sustainable and responsible to respond to the growing global demands in these areas. This move will also re-position Malaysia’s branding as a source of sustainable products and services.

“To kickstart our efforts towards transforming Malaysia into a sustainable trading nation we have recently launched a 5-year Corporate Shared Values campaign called Sustainability Action Values for Exporters or SAVE. Through SAVE we aim to build the awareness on sustainability among exporters, help identify a sustainability benchmark suitable for Malaysian companies, matching sustainable businesses with buyers, provide recognition for sustainable exporters and to introduce a brand endorsement for sustainable products or services for export,” Wan Latiff shared.

Through various efforts in place, MATRADE hopes Malaysia’s trade will remain at RM1 trillion mark this year despite various economic headwinds globally. “Come 2020, we hope the players in both the Public and Private sector can form a stronger synergy to ensure Malaysia will continue to be one of the world’s most competitive nations in trade,” Wan Latiff added.

Malaysian companies who are keen to benefit for MATRADE’s Exporters Development and Export Promotion facilitation are urged to write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or to any of its social media channel on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

WEDNESDAY, 9 OCTOBER, MENARA MATRADE, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is taking a leadership role to champion adoption of sustainable practices among Malaysian companies in the export business by launching a Corporate Shared Values (CSV) programme called SUSTAINABILITY ACTION VALUES FOR EXPORTERS, or SAVE.

The CSV programme was launched today by Deputy Secretary General of Ministry of International Trade & Industry Hairil Yahri Yaacob on behalf of Minister of International Trade & Industry YB Datuk Darell Leiking. The objective of SAVE is to influence the adoption of sustainability practices based on United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among Malaysian exporters as a strategy to give them a strategic advantage in export. The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030 named AGENDA 2030. The SDGs address various global challenges, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. The Goals interconnect and in order to leave no one behind, the UN is calling for all nations to achieve each Goal and target by 2030.

According to MATRADE’s Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Wan Latiff Wan Musa, there is a rapid rise in the awareness and adoption of sustainability around the world. “The global marketplace has now placed the sustainability agenda and responsible business as a key benchmark for trade transactions and it is inevitable that all players in such a marketplace to prepare themselves to be more responsible for the natural environment as well as for the safety and rights of all people involved, including customers, employees, vendors and the general public. Furthermore, it is imperative to demonstrate the adherence of good corporate governance, with the practice of integrity and ethics,” he said.

Echoing this message is Hairil. “In September 2016, Malaysia became signatory to AGENDA 2030, and with that we have resolved our commitment to work towards achieving the SDGs as a national priority. In fact, the principles of sustainability are already embedded in the 11th Malaysia Plan, RMK11 (2016-2020), and we can expect to expand on this when the 12th Malaysia Plan is released next year. From the perspective of international trade, the need for demonstrating sustainability has already become a requirement to be an effective player in the global supply chain. We will not only gain market access based on the compliance to sustainability, but are also at risk of being excluded from certain markets if our exporters fail to show compliance. As such, the SAVE Programme introduced today by MATRADE is very timely and must be actively
embraced by all Malaysian exporters.”

SAVE Programme, also in line with the recently launched Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, will be executed in phases and this year the Programme will be focusing on capacity building initiatives to address the low awareness on sustainability and responsible business among local exporters. â€œThere is a need prepare Malaysian exporters with the knowledge and information they need so they can make a strategic and responsible decision in their sustainability practices. Additionally, we are also preparing our internal staff to be more exposed to areas of sustainability so they can provide the right guidance to Malaysian export community,” Wan Latiff shared.

At this juncture, MATRADE will be rolling out a series of high-powered engagements namely the National Export Day (NED) 2019 (themed Sustainability and Inclusiveness) on 24 October 2019, Sustainability-Ready Exporters (Su-RE) Conference on 19 November 2019 and the internal awareness campaign, MATRADE Goes Green Campaign, that has started last week. The NED expects the attendance of 1,000 participants while Su-RE is set to welcome 500 participants who are Small and Medium Enterprises and Mid-Tier Companies. The MATRADE Goes Green campaign meanwhile will rally all management and staff of MATRADE to think and act
“Sustainability”

MATRADE is collaborating with several key strategic partners to ensure the success of SAVE. These include Global Compact Network Malaysia - the Malaysian chapter of the United Nations Global Compact, and CIMB Islamic who will play an advisory role in the areas of sustainable financing, and on the adoption of business best practices in sustainability. CIMB Islamic is part of CIMB Group, which has prioritised sustainability as one of the key pillars in its current growth plan, and is fast establishing its corporate leadership in this space.

Moving forward, MATRADE in inviting any interested parties from both the public and private sector to reach out to MATRADE to collaborate via the SAVE Campaign. For more details on SAVE, visit www.matrade.gov.my.