February 17th, 2011 ? 7:34 pm @ HalalMedia Admin
The upcoming 8th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) this April 6-9 are attracting more Singaporean Halal manufacturers to the point the organiser are unsure how to accommodate all of them.
MIHAS Chief Executive Officer Mohd Shukri Abdullah said, the booth space at the event venue, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), has been 90 per cent sold or nearly taken up by Malaysian and international exhibitors.
Despite this however, there are still last minute requests by Singaporean companies to participate. He said manufacturers from over 30 countries are expected to participate in the upcoming installment and they have been allotted a limited and fair share of booth space.
MIHAS Info Centre provides a one-stop point for all Halal trade-related inquiries.
“We are here in Singapore to promote MIHAS 2011 to local firms so that they don’t miss out on the world-class offering,” said Shukri.
“MIHAS is also the best platform to source halal products from Malaysia and they can use MIHAS to tap into the large potential of the global Halal market,” he added.
He added that there were also many inquiries from companies from repeat participating nations like Iran and China as well as newcomers such as Turkey. The request could not be be accommodated however due to space constraints at the KLCC.
A total of 527 exhibitors, including 163 international companies from 32 countries participated in last year’s MIHAS which attracted over 35,000 visitors from 59 countries.
Mohd Shukri said as in the later part of the series, the 2010 MIHAS show also breached the RM1 billion mark in total sales, raking in RM1.17 billion and the figure is proof that the halal business is growing.
Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation Trade (MATRADE) Commissioner in Singapore Naim Abdul Rahman said the total sales of halal products and services at this year’s MIHAS is expected to increase by 10 percent to RM1.28 billion.
Although many Singaporean companies might not be able to showcase their halal products, he hoped to see the city-state send in the largest business delegation, including quality buyers, to MIHAS.
It is understood that there are over 500 companies dealing in halal products and services in Singapore.
Last year, the annual global market for halal food trade was valued at US$500 billion, with Asia having over a billion Muslim population providing the best market for halal products.
Source: Bernama
