MATRADE EYES RM600M IN SALES
INSP will match 500 local SMEs with 200 buyers from 43 countries
THE Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) expects up to RM600 million in potential sales from the International Sourcing Programme (INSP) this year.
Deputy chief executive officer Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz said the INSP would focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
in the halal industry this year.
“Local companies in INSP come from Selangor, Johor, Penang, Perak and Kuala Lumpur. Other countries involved in the programme include China, India, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore.
“Matrade will be coordinating around 1,928 business meetings between local and foreign companies,” he said, here, yesterday. The one-day INSP, organised in conjunction with the 16th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (Mihas) 2019, will match more than 500 local companies with 200 foreign buyers from 43 countries.
Mustafa said the global business matching programme would enable local SMEs promote their halal products and services to high-potential buyers found through the extensive buyers database from Matrade’s 46 global trade offices.
He said the business matching programmes would provide opportunities for local companies to meet high-potential foreign buyers at home, saving them travelling costs.
“The INSP is a very an effective platform for Malaysian companies, especially SMEs, to meet with global buyers.
“Since the inception of Mihas, we have successfully turned this annual gathering of local sellers and foreign buyers into an important meeting point for companies to expand their business horizon in the global arena.”
Mustafa said the food and beverage sector contributed the largest amount to the RM602.45 million sales generated at last year’s INSP.
The top export destinations from last year’s INSP were China (RM310.46 million in sales), India (RM75.61 million), Poland (RM71.34 million), Thailand (RM21.70 million) and the United States (RM20.13 million).