CYBERJAYA, Jan 8 — The Ministry of Entrepreneur Development will focus on “selling expertise” on the halal process and services to the business community in a bid to attract more investments, said its minister Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Yusof.
He said Malaysia’s halal certification, recognised at the global level, should be used to entice more local and foreign companies keen on capitalising on that advantage.
Malaysia had been involved in the halal industry for a long time but was too focused on selling halal products without considering its expertise in the process of achieving the halal status, he told a media conference after the soft launch of the Malaysia Halal Expo 2019 (MHE 2019) here today.
“We cannot focus only on promoting halal food products as before. Instead, we need to be more aggressive to enlighten the industry players on the halal certification process, in which we possess a recognised expertise,” he added.
In addition to its infrastructure, Malaysia could attract more businesses to expand here and create more economic opportunities through its expertise as well as capability in positioning itself as a global halal hub and the clearer understanding on the halal process, he said.
Regarding MHE 2019 themed “Malaysia to Japan for 2020 Olympics”, Redzuan said the event followed the halal collaboration agreement that was signed between the Malaysian and Japanese governments, which among others aimed at exploring the halal product market during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games 2020.
The three-day expo that begins on Jan 24 will see the participation of 320 exhibitors at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Redzuan said exhibitors in the food and beverages, ingredients, biotechnology, cosmetics, health care and pharmaceutical, as well as logistics clusters should take this opportunity to show their preparedness to explore a larger market.
He added that 300 business match-making sessions had been arranged with 20 buyers from Japan and large companies, with potential sales estimated at RM50 million during MHE 2019. — Bernama
