MATRADE promotes halal industry, Mihas 2023 to Dutch business community

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) held an industry engagement session on March 13 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, to promote the halal sector and the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (Mihas) 2023 to the Dutch business community.

In a statement today, MARTRADE said the Halal Quality Control Information Day (HQC ID) 2023 was organised by the international halal certification organisation Halal Quality Control.

It said the HQC ID received an overwhelming response from over 70 key Halal industry players in the Netherlands, from experts in the industry and business community in halal food and non-food sectors.

Ambassador of Malaysia to the Netherlands, Datuk Nadzirah Osman, in her opening remarks at HQC ID, said that with about 1.9 billion Muslims representing 25 per cent of the world’s population, the halal industry plays a significant role in the global economy not limited to only Muslims but also non-Muslims markets as well.

She emphasised the importance of halal certification, which shows a commitment towards greater transparency and showing confidence in its certification processes.

“The added value is a guarantee for consumers that the products are of high quality because the halal certificate is the ultimate proof of meeting those standards. The certification covers traceability across the manufacturing process chain from raw materials to the finished products,” she said.

During the HQC ID event, MATRADE also shared various business opportunities in the halal industry across various sectors.

MATRADE’s trade commissioner in Rotterdam, Emeliana Zainol, meanwhile, said that for consumers in Europe, Muslims or non-Muslims, halal is fast becoming a value proposition they prefer.

She said that aside from halal, Malaysian companies should leverage the emerging trends too, such as functional food; free-from-food categories such as gluten-free; sugar-free; lactose- free and others; vegan or vegetarian food; plant-based food as well as sustainable food.

The trade commissioner added that MATRADE would continue to spearhead the promotion of halal, especially through the Mihas event.

“The session was also an avenue to promote Mihas 2023 and also to encourage Dutch companies to source from Malaysia, taking advantage of the International Sourcing Programme (INSP) to be organised by MATRADE in conjunction with Mihas 2023,” she said.

The Netherlands is Malaysia’s second-largest trading partner in Europe, with total trade of RM48.04 billion last year.

In terms of exports, the Netherlands is Malaysia’s largest export destination in Europe, with a value of RM42.08 billion.

-- BERNAMA