Russia Debuts At MAHA 2024 With Strong Commitment To Malaysia's Halal Standards

By Naveen Prabu

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- Russia is making its debut at the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture, and Agrotourism Expo (MAHA) 2024, emphasising its dedication to adhering to Malaysia's stringent Halal standards while presenting a diverse array of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).

In an exclusive interview with Bernama, Ekaterina Latypova, the Ambassador of the Moscow Export Center (MEC) in Malaysia, emphasised that complying with Malaysian market regulations, especially regarding standards and requirements, is a top priority for Russian companies.

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“Malaysian Halal standards are very high, and when I discuss market entry with Moscow companies interested in the Malaysian market, I emphasise that securing Halal certification is essential because, without it, we cannot even proceed,” she said. 

Latypova explained that Russian companies are already familiar with Halal requirements due to their experience supplying products to the United Arab Emirates and Gulf countries.

“The Russian producers are ready and prepared, and we don't need to explain what’s Halal to them, thanks to the significant Muslim population in Russia, which exceeds 30 million,” she said.

Regarding Russia’s decision to debut at MAHA, she said that it is driven by a commitment to strengthening business relations with Southeast Asian countries, especially Malaysia.

“Moscow, the largest Russian exporter, has been developing rapidly in recent decades, with Moscow-based companies accounting for 39 per cent of all Russian goods and services exported in 2023.

“We see Malaysia as one of the most developed countries in Southeast Asia, with a strong business environment and technological ecosystem, and in 2023, Moscow's non-commodities exports to Malaysia grew by nearly 90 per cent, indicating even greater potential for future trade.”

She also mentioned that FMCG is not the only area of collaboration, as the MEC has been arranging business visits for Russian information technology (IT) companies to Malaysia for the past two years.

“Last year, 10 companies participated, and this November, we plan to bring even more Moscow-based IT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Smart City companies to showcase our solutions to Malaysian partners and arrange business-to-business (B2B) meetings to explore business cooperation. 

She also mentioned that the MEC is extending an invitation to Malaysian businesses to visit Moscow, offering to subsidise the costs of these visits as part of their initiative to foster international business relations.

“We have organised similar events for other countries and are now looking forward to hosting the Malaysian business community,” she said. 

Running from Sept 11 till Sept 22 at MAEPS, Serdang, the Russian Pavilion at MAHA 2024 is hosted by the MEC in collaboration with 3BUMI Sdn Bhd and the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, showcasing Halal-certified products from Moscow brands, including UniConf (chocolates and candies), Damate (turkey), Ochakovo (soft drinks), and MAKFA (flour).

-- BERNAMA