Malaysia halal showcase enters 16th editionnext year

Dr Mohd Shahreen says Mihas should not belooked at purely as an event, but rather, a showcase of Malaysia at large.

MANY may think that a halal certificationis mostly for the food and beverage (F&B) industry, but it is more thanjust that.

The global halal market is projected to beworth US$3tril (RM12tril) by 2022 and will outpace the world growth by morethan 1.6%.

Leveraging on this figure, MalaysiaExternal Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) will be organising the 16thMalaysia International Halal Showcase (Mihas) from April 3 to 6, 2019 atMalaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec), Kuala Lumpur.

Dubbed the world’s largest halal tradefair, Mihas serves as a platform for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs)to showcase their halal brands to the global business audience.

“from my perspective, Mihas should not belooked at purely as an event, but rather, a showcase of Malaysia at large,”said Matrade chief executive officer Dr Mohd Shahreen Zainooreen Madros.

“It is also a signature halal

industry programme and Malaysia being aprogressive Muslim nation, has a lot to offer,” he said during the MihasBusiness Association Hi-Tea.

A pioneer in the halal industry, Shahreenadded that Malaysia has the capacity and competitive advantage in the field.

“We spearheaded halal industry for so long,and we have developed a mature ecosystem; much of it was on F&B.

“Moving forward, we cannot look at Mihasand halal industry limited to only F&B; the halal Muslim lifestyle is amuch wider concept which includes finance, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, tourismand more,” he said.

Interestingly, Shahreen noted that thebiggest buyers of halal products are not necessarily from Muslim countries.

“China is surprisingly a big taker on halalproducts, this is because the halal certification is no longer seen in areligious context but seen as quality marker,” he added.

Shahreen said products carrying the halalcertification by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) are well-regarded,and this helps to strengthen Malaysia’s branding overseas.

For Mihas 2018, Mihas has proven to be successfulby generating over RM1.52bil in sales ? an increase of 50.49% from Mihas 2017.

“Mihas provides a conducive platform forMalaysian companies to discover global opportunities at the comfort of theirown home country while at the same time, learn about the industry from theirinternational peers.”

In addition to trade shows, there will beother programmes and events held concurrently with the exhibition, includingMatrade Trade Talk, Halal Trade Finance Conference and MyPitch@Mihas amongothers.

Mihas 2018 has attracted over 778exhibitors from 32 countries and 21,000 visitors worldwide.

To be part of Mihas 2019, visitwww.mihas.com.my

https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/12/03/msia-halal-showcase-enters-16th-edition-next-year/