KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) will continue to promote Malaysia as an ideal sourcing destination for food ingredients in Southeast Asia for Europe, with halal as a value proposition.
To grow Malaysia’s exports to the region, Matrade will be spearheading the participation of Malaysian companies at Food Ingredients Europe 2022 (FI Europe) at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition and conference centre from tomorrow to Thursday.
Director of halal, food and beverages (F&B) and agro-based section Remee Yaakub said apart from high quality and reliability, Malaysia’s narrative at the Malaysia Pavilion would be centred on Malaysian companies’ readiness in the halal sector.
“Halal is regarded as a unique value proposition to reflect good governance in supply chain management. Malaysia’s Halal Industry Master Plan (HIMP) 2030 has also stipulated that food ingredient products are a sub-segment to drive the halal agenda.
“We believe the values that halal offers will be favourably received by importers from markets in the European Union (EU), as well as from other areas,” he said in a statement today.
Remee added that the demand for halal F&B has increased as a result of the surge in Muslim tourism in Europe, hence, producers and retailers are either sourcing halal goods domestically or importing them from countries like Malaysia.
The trade promotion organisation said 12 Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SME) in the food ingredient sector will be highlighting the nation’s strengths in this segment at the trade fair.
Among the products offered by these home-grown SME are seasonings, food colourings, food fragrances, cocoa-based products, coconut-based products, oleo chemical products and sauces and pastes.
FI Europe is a leading food ingredients exhibition in Europe and also the second largest globally. It will feature close to 1,000 exhibitors from over 64 countries.
Matrade trade commissioner in Frankfurt Zuhaila Sedek said FI Europe provides an opportunity for Malaysian SME to explore new prospects apart from expanding their partnerships with current clients from around the world.
“Participating in a renowned international trade show like FI Europe gives Malaysia the chance to showcase its network of exporters who are equipped for the EU market.
“These SMEs will serve as case studies used by Matrade’s global trade offices to illustrate Malaysia’s positioning as the world’s preferred sourcing destination,” she said.
For the first 10 months of 2022, trade between Malaysia and Europe expanded by 19.4% to RM214.66 billion, with Malaysia’s total exports to Europe growing by 18.2% and valued at RM 117.07 billion. Total imports from Europe increased by 20.8% to RM97.59 billion. – Bernama
