Huge potential for Sarawak firms in halal exporting industry

KUCHING: There is huge potential for Sarawakian companies to participate in the halal exporting industry due to the unique attributes of the products sold here as well as the growing Muslim population which is expected to drive the growth of the halal industry worldwide, says Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade).

With the total spending in the halal economy estimated to be at US$2.1 trillion in 2017, based on Thomson Reuters’ Global Islamic Economic (GIE) 2018/2019 report, and set to grow to US$3 trillion by 2023, Matrade encouraged Sarawakian companies to grab the opportunity to explore the rapidly growing halal market.

“There is huge potential for Sarawakian companies to participate in the halal exporting industry as I’ve seen for myself, based on my observation of the market here – how there are many products in Sarawak that can be exported under the halal industry.

“And it’s not just food and spices, there are handicrafts as Sarawak has its own unique attributes. In terms of the F&B industry, I believe that there are few difficulties in meeting the requirements to acquire the halal certification as there are organisations here in Malaysia that can assist with that,” Matrade’s deputy director of Halal, F&B, and Agro-based Section Khairul Nizam Moonier told the press on the sidelines of Matrade’s ‘Export Opportunities in Halal Industry’ Seminar held here yesterday.

“With a population of just 33 million, we know that Malaysia’s market is not enough. Therefore, we urge local companies, especially those from Sarawak, to go further especially now when there is a wide variety of facilities to help companies export such as e-commerce, Matrade, and other export agencies in Malaysia,” he added.