Locals-only version of MIHAS to woo Malaysian Halal SMEs

Malaysia’s newest Halal exposition, HALFEST, is set to lead the development of Malaysian Halal SME industry, with the staging of a locals-only version of MIHAS this 12th to 16th October 2011 at Putra World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.

Halal is on the move. Local SMEs are told to get on board quick or they will lose out.

Event organisers Shapers Malaysia Sdn Bhd, also known as the MIHAS Secretariat, aims to host more than 720 booths for Malaysian Halal certified producers, with the consumers as target audience instead of industry players.

Aiming to draw more than 50,000 visitors during the five-day carnival-like expo, HALFEST will appeal especially to local Halal Small and Medium Sized Entreprise (SMEs) to showcase their halal products and services.

YB Dato Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) at the event’s soft launch here said that he is confident HALFEST will be the perfect nurturing ground to prepare Malaysian Halal SMEs to venture abroad.

“More importantly, for the first time, the event will help showcase the capabilities of local Halal producers to enable them to strategically position their products as they seek global market presence. Entrepreneurs will not only be able to enhance business networking, but also obtain latest market updates as well as explore new opportunities available in other Halal sectors and related services,” he said.

The minister then singled out Halal ingredients as one of the priority sectors identified under the Halal Industry Master Plan. Within ingredients, palm oil clearly has immense potential as alternative across all Halal sub-sectors. Besides increasing local content for Malaysian-made Halal products, it could also provide for the Malaysian economy.

Halal Logistics, Halal Tourism and Halal Healthcare he noted also have high investment potentials, and because of this, local Halal SMEs should continue to participate in trade shows like HALFEST, to better understand the global market demand and consumers’ expectations.

Participation in HALFEST would also allow for better insight into various facilities within a Halal-dedicated Parks. In addition to tax incentives, Halal SMEs will also have access to Halal trainings, matching business programs as well as funding prospects.

Dato’ Seri Jamil Bidin, CEO of Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) said: “Malaysia has initiated such Halal-related event as it can help boost domestic investments through business ventures and create employment opportunities, which would in turn benefit the rakyat, and contribute towards growing the nation’s economy,”

Beyond food and consumables, Halal lifestyle will also be an area HALFEST aims to cultivate. Among the Malaysian consumers, event organisers hope to educate consumers on the positive benefits inherent in Halal products, including upholding the aspects of thoiyyiban which is safety, hygiene and wholesomeness.

- Halal Media > Reserve your booth space at HALFEST. Book one with us today!

The guests of honor at the launch ceremony.

Photo caption from left:

1. En Mohd Shukri Abdullah (CEO of Shapers Malaysia Sdn Bhd)
2. Datuk Khamsiyah Yeop (Chairman of Shapers Malaysia Sdn Bhd)
3. Dato’ Seri Jamil Bidin (CEO of HDC)
4. Datuk Ibrahim Ahmad (Director General of MARA)
5. Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed (Minister of MITI)
6. Datuk Dr Syed Muhamad Syed Abdul Kadir (Chairman of CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad)
7. En Badlisyah Abdul Ghani (CEO of CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad)