Perbadanan Pembangunan Perdagangan Luar Malaysia

WEDNESDAY, 5 APRIL 2017, KUALA LUMPUR : World-renowned Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) opened its doors for the 14th time since its inception in 2004, bringing together global Halal brands and congregating industry players from around the world. Organised by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) under the patronage of Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia, the event was officially launched by YAB Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Bin Hamidi, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur (KLCC) today.

Also present at the ceremony were YB Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry; YB Dato' Dr Noraini Ahmad, Chairman of MATRADE; YBrs Ir Dr Mohd Shahreen Zainooreen Madros, CEO of MATRADE; local and foreign government officials; local and international media; business and trade associations as well as many others.

MIHAS, tagged as the world's largest Halal trade show, started today until 8 April 2017 and aims to provide a platform for Malaysian and international companies in the Halal industry to forge trade relations and exchange knowledge in business and product innovation.

MIHAS 2017, through its exhibition component, is set to highlight various segments within the global Halal industry supply chain in particular 4 main clusters - Food (ready-to-eat meals, sauces, paste and beverages); Non-Food (cosmetics and pharmaceuticals); Shariah - Compliant Services (Islamic financing, Halal logistics) and eCommerce (B2C and B2B eMarketplaces).

This year, MIHAS 2017 hosts 580 exhibitors from 33 countries. Among the participating countries include ASEAN nations, Palestine, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the Netherlands, Brazil, South Africa, China, Japan, Taiwan and many more. MIHAS also witness first time participation by Austria and Finland. The event is open to trade visitors from 5 to 8 April and open to the public (18 years and above only) on the last day. The number of visitors this year is targeted to reach 25,000 people.

MATRADE has coordinated its signature business matching event called International Sourcing Programme (INSP) in conjunction with MIHAS 2017. Held yesterday at Menara MATRADE, the INSP matched 418 Malaysian companies with 172 international buyers from all over ASEAN and Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Americas, Oceania and Europe. Over 2,200 business meetings were arranged at the INSP. Last year, MIHAS generated accumulative sales of RM1.14 billion from both the exhibition and INSP.

In addition, there will also be an Industry Zone in Hall 6 where a series of country presentations and Trade Talks on various Halal-related topics will be organised. Among the topics are Islamic Financing, Halal Logistics, Food Safety Management System and a few others. The Trade Talks, held in the format of panel discussions, will take place on 6 April 2016 from 10am to 5.30pm.

According to YAB Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Bin Hamidi, MIHAS 2017 is a key event for Malaysia not only for it business propositions but also its role in strengthening Malaysia's position as the world's hub for Halal industry.

"MIHAS promotes the whole agenda of Halal and puts Malaysia on the map as a market leader in this highly lucrative industry. This week, Kuala Lumpur lights up with the gathering of key players from many continents. Above and beyond that, it showcases the benefits of implementing Islamic values to the world's economy," YAB Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Bin Hamidi said.

He added, "MIHAS reflects a success story of the public and private sector working together to develop an ecosystem that is conducive for the growth of Malaysian companies, especially the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In Malaysia, Government interventions coupled with private sector initiatives help to drive more inclusion of SMEs in global business, in this case through the trade of Halal products and services. This, we hope could increase SMEs' contribution in export to 23% by 2020 from the current 17.8% share."

Meanwhile YB Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamed said, "Championing the inclusion of SMEs in international business through the Halal industry is also in line with ASEAN's aspiration, what's more when the region is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year."

The Halal industry is gaining strong momentum for the past decade and much of this robust growth is fuelled by the high demand from not only Muslim population but the non-Muslims around the world.

The Halal market is currently valued at USD2.3 trillion annually with Halal food sector as its core component, valued at USD660 billion. Malaysia's exports of halal products in 2015 (latest figure) were valued at RM39.3 billion. The main Malaysian export items in the Halal sector last year were food and beverages, followed by Halal ingredients and palm oil derivatives. Among Malaysia's top export markets include China, Singapore, the United States of America and Japan. In addition, Malaysia's Halal exports are also projected to contribute 8.7% to Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020, indicating its importance to the nation.

Complementing MIHAS 2017 will be the inaugural Malaysia International Islamic Lifestyle Exhibition (MILE), an event organised in parallel with MIHAS to promote Islamic lifestyle sector. The MILE's objective is to promote clusters such as modest fashion, Islamic education & literature, Islamic arts, IT & multimedia, jewellery and ornaments as well as social & community development.

For more details on MIHAS 2017, visit www.mihas.com.my

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) in collaboration with the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Malaysia organised a Trade Talk on 'Doing Business with Egypt' today at Menara MATRADE to highlight to Malaysian companies the business opportunities for them in Egypt.

The event was part of the activities undertaken by the trade promotion agency to engage and boost trade and economic relations with Egypt. The event was attended by MATRADE's Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mr. Wan Latiff Wan Musa and the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Malaysia, H.E. Salah Mohi Eldin Elwassimy.

"With some early positive signs emerging from the reforms undertaken by the Egyptian authorities, MATRADE expects economic ties between Malaysia and Egypt to strengthen in the near future," said Mr Wan Latiff.

The Egyptian economy has been affected by the political revolution that began in 2011. In terms of bilateral trade between Malaysia and Egypt, it been on the downtrend. Malaysia's total trade with Egypt in 2016 was only about half the volume recorded in 2010. During the period, Malaysia's exports to Egypt have been impacted. For 2016, Malaysia's total trade with Egypt decreased by 18.9% to register RM2.58 billion from RM3.18 billion recorded in 2015. Exports dropped by 6.8% to RM2.08 billion while imports were down by 47.1% to RM505.4 million.

The trade talk was organised to highlight the recent developments and reforms taking place in Egypt in its effort to rebuild the economy. Just recently, World Bank approved USD3 billion & International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved USD12 billion for various construction and infrastructure developments such as ports, roads, power generation, facilities and water treatment plants in Egypt.

"MATRADE through its Cairo trade office is closely monitoring the developments in Egypt and we will keep the local companies informed on the programmes undertaken by the Egyptian government in supporting its trade and foreign investment," Mr Wan Latiff said.

As a result of various development efforts undertaken by the Egyptian government to stimulate the economy, there are export opportunities for Malaysian companies in the areas of construction and related sectors as well as building materials. Others include machinery and equipment, furniture, automotive parts, halal products, healthcare products and services, oil and gas services and tourism-related products as well as services.

"Much need to be done to increase and deepen trade between Egypt and Malaysia. For this purpose, we need to encourage more cooperation and collaborations between the business communities in both countries which bring opportunities for Malaysian companies in the construction and related sectors," Mr Wan Latiff mentioned.

Egypt, which is the largest in term of population in the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA) with over 90 million people, is a very important market for Malaysian products and services as well as for cross border investment. This is due to Egypt's strategic location, its vast underlying economic potentials and Malaysia-Egypt long-standing bilateral relations and people-to-people ties.

MATRADE also encourages Malaysian companies to leverage on MATRADE's 47 international offices to understand the global markets and start exporting. Local companies that are keen to explore the Egyptian market can contact MATRADE's Cairo office by emailing to Alamat emel ini dilindungi dari Spambot. Anda perlu hidupkan JavaScript untuk melihatnya..

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: The National Export Council (NEC) has identified Electrical & Electronics (E&E) as the key sector to promote the inclusion of Malaysian companies in the global supply chain, given its significance in developing new industries that are driven by knowledge, high-technology and value-add.

The NEC, chaired by the Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Hj Abdul Razak, agreed that by boosting the performance of the E&E sector more market leaders from Malaysia will be developed, hence increasing the participation of Malaysian companies in the global supply chain, particularly in emerging segments. Among these segments are System Integration, Cloud Computing, Advanced Energy Storage, Wireless Electronics, Electric Vehicle, Internet of Things, Augmented Reality and Big Data.

The E&E sector assumes a crucial role in driving the Malaysian economy and it contributed 44.6% to the country's total manufacturing exports in 2016. The E&E sector also contributed 23.4% to Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016 and created more than 780,000 jobs for Malaysians. The E&E Multinational Companies in Malaysia too have been identified as a catalyst to develop local SMEs into high-value corporations.

The meeting also deliberated on strategies to improve the services trade balance through the tourism industry. Specific initiatives aimed at increasing high net-worth tourist arrivals include the importance of executing high-impact promotional activities such as inviting world-famous celebrities to visit Malaysia and leveraging on social media and other digital platforms to attract more inbound tourists. Other initiatives are promoting the use of e-wallet among tourists and easing visa processing for travellers visiting Malaysia.

The NEC also emphasised on the strategies to promote the usage of local content in key local development projects. In realising this, the Government through its agencies such as Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) will facilitate the matching of local suppliers with developers through industry collaboration programmes.

In addition to services balance, ongoing initiatives to improve agro food trade balance such as increasing production locally through the existing Permanent Food Production Parks & Aquaculture Industrial Zone as well as to expedite the signing of export protocols with importing countries were also presented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry during the meeting.

The NEC was established in December 2014 and meets once every quarter. It is tasked with formulating strategies to drive Malaysia's exports and to chart the way forward for Malaysia to have a conducive ecosystem that promotes the development of local industries that are competitive globally.

TUESDAY, 21 MARCH 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: World-renowned Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) is all set to return for its 14th edition at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event will take place from 5 to 8 April 2017 and is organised by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Malaysia's trade promotion agency.

MIHAS that was first introduced in 2004 aims to promote the world's Halal sector and is under the patronage of Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia. MIHAS 2017 will highlight segments within the global Halal industry supply chain such as Halal food & beverages products, non-food products such as Halal pharmaceuticals and Halal cosmetics products as well as Syariah-compliant services namely financial services, Halal logistics, e-commerce and tourism.

Complementing MIHAS 2017 will be the inaugural Malaysia International Islamic Lifestyle Exhibition (MILE), an event organised in parallel with MIHAS to promote Islamic lifestyle sector. The MILE's objective is to promote clusters such as modest fashion, Islamic education & literature, Islamic arts, IT & multimedia, jewellery and ornaments as well as social & community development.

In efforts to intensify business deals during the event, MATRADE will be coordinating its signature business matching initiative called International Sourcing Programme (INSP). Around 2,200 business meetings will take place between Malaysian and the global delegations. The INSP is a key component of MIHAS 2017 and is an effective platform to boost global trade for Halal products and services. Last year, MIHAS generated total sales of RM.1.14 billion - an increase of four per cent from 2015 – from both its exhibition and INSP.

According to MATRADE's Chief Executive Officer Ir Dr Mohd Shahreen Zainooreen Madros MIHAS is a key annual event for Malaysia as it has the capability to strengthen the country's position as a global hub for Islamic economy. "Malaysia's conducive Islamic economic landscape is exemplary to many nations, resulted in MIHAS' strong positioning around the world. MIHAS is also testament to the Malaysian Government's effort to promote the growth of the Halal industry, not only for Malaysia but for the world too," Dr Mohd Shahreen said.

MIHAS 2017 will host over 550 exhibitors from over 30 countries. Among the countries taking part in MIHAS this year are ASEAN nations, Turkey, Brazil, South Africa, Palestine, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. This year the number of visitors are targeted to reach 25,000 people and comprise trade visitors from local and international organisations, associations, foreign delegations and others.

The Halal industry is gaining strong momentum for the past decade and much of this robust growth is fuelled by the high demand from not only Muslim population but the non-Muslims too.

"MIHAS is an avenue where all stakeholders in the public and private sector from around the world work collectively to promote the trade of Halal products and services and this cohesiveness will have a direct impact to the development of the Halal ecosystem around the world," Dr Mohd Shahreen mentioned.

Inaugurated 13 years ago with the vision of making Malaysia a global halal marketplace, MIHAS has earned a reputation as the world's largest Halal trade fair. For more details on the event, visit www.mihas.com.my