KUALA LUMPUR: The inaugural Malaysia Halal Expo (MHE) 2019 this week aims to achieve RM50mil in negotiated sales from its three-day event.

Organised by the Entrepreneur Development Ministry, the trade event will be held from tomorrow till Saturday at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

MHE 2019 serves as a platform to showcase export-ready local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) products and services for the Japanese market.

Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Yusof said the event is one of the ministry’s continuous efforts to promote Malaysia on the world map.

“Leveraging on Malaysia’s reputation as a leading global halal hub, the ministry is spearheading the development of entrepreneur halal initiatives in the Japanese marke“MHE 2019 is one of the initiatives followed by the signing of the Malaysia-Japan Memorandum of Agreement in Halal Field last year which will see both countries working together in the provision of halal services and food preparation to Japan.

“The trade event is also poised to prepare towards the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games 2020 by providing local SMEs with vast trading and networking opportunities in the Japanese halal market,” he said.

Spanning across four halls of exhibition space, the trade event will showcase more than 300 booths, featuring six clusters – food and beverages; cosmetics; halal ingredients; logistics; biotechnology; personal care and pharmaceutical – by Malaysian SMEs.

“We have received overwhelming interest to participate in the event from countries such as China, Europe, South Korea and the Middle East but this time it will be 100% Malaysian SMEs,” said Mohd Redzuan, adding that the event is expected to attract 10,000 visitors.

Trade visitors can look out for networking opportunities through business-matching sessions with 21 potential leading buyers including 15 Japanese anchor companies and six local anchor companies which are expected to take part in MHE 2019.

Among the Japanese anchor companies are Family Mart, MHC Co Ltd, Yatsumoto Tsusho Co Ltd, Sohgo Kikaku Co Ltd, Asia Trading & Services Co Ltd and Hayabusa International, while local anchor companies comprise Tesco Stores Malaysia, Ramly Food Marketing Sdn Bhd, Lulu Group Retails Sdn Bhd, Nestle Manufacturing (M) Sdn Bhd, Aeon Big Malaysia and Desatera Sdn Bhd.

In addition, there will be knowledge-sharing sessions on the latest trends and business tips by participating agencies such as SME Bank Bhd, Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), EXIM Bank and Matrade.

On the halal concept, Mohd Redzuan shared that MHE 2019 is also to create awareness that it is not limited to meat products slaughtered according to syariah specification, meat products that do not contain pork, or beverages that are alcohol-free.

“The halal industry has now expanded beyond the food sector. It has gone into logistics, packaging warehousing, marketing, medical devices as well as health products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, tourism, hospitality and fashion,” he said.

He urged SMEs not to stop at Japan but to forge strategic collaborations and partnerships with companies in the Asean region, expand their businesses, and create opportunities as well as generate revenues through trade.

The global halal industry is estimated to be worth about US$2.3 trillion and growing at an estimated annual rate of 20%, valued at about US$560bil a year.

“Under the National Entrepreneur Framework (NEF), SME contribution to the GDP was 37% in 2017. By 2020, the targeted contribution is 41%.

“In 2017, SMEs export contribution was valued at 17.3%. Under the NEF, the targeted export contribution is 23%,” said Mohd Redzuan.

In conjunction with MHE 2019, the Pocket Talk programme is one not to be missed by SMEs who are keen to learn about the Japanese market and current business trends, and requirements for doing business in Japan.

Happening at Hall 4 of the KL Convention Centre where the expo’s main stage will be, the first session is by Bank Negara on Access to Financing for SMEs, followed by a forum featuring EXIM Bank, Association of Islamic Banking Institutions of Malaysia (AIBIM) and SME Bank on Financing for Export, after which Dr Aishah Solution and Nani’s Frozen Food will relate their experiences in a forum on Sharing the Business Journey into Japan.

Among the topics that will be covered during this three-day event are Business Checklist into Japan by Matrade, Bringing Halal Products Through Smart Functions by BCA Group, Halal Sells by Jakim, Japan Market and Halal by Muslim Professional Japan Association (MPJA), Halal Tech Funding by Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) and Understanding Your Product and Market for Tokyo 2020 and Beyond by Acrosx Japan Incorporated.

Other highlights of MHE 2019 include a cooking demo by a senior chef of the National Sports Council, and sharing sessions and appearances featuring local celebrity entrepreneurs such as Faizal Ismail (FBI), Amy Search, Erma Fatima (Mak Cun), Munif Hijjaz, Datin Fouziah Gous and Fynn Jamal.

Taking advantage of fast-paced Internet and social media, Dbilique, a digital content hub driven by Faizal Ismail (FBI) and Fara Fauzana, will conduct a live session with visitors and exhibitors at this inaugural event.

Visitors get to also witness the Islamic Innovation Challenge Award at the Pocket Talk area that will be held on Friday which will be presented by Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development Datuk Wira Dr Hatta Ramli.

Malaysia Halal Expo 2019 (Jan 24-26, 10am-6pm) at KL Convention Centre Halls 1-4 is open to all and admission is free. For more details go to www.halal-expo.my .