The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is all set to leverage on FOODEX Japan 2022, one of the largest annual food and beverage trade show in Asia which will take place from March 8 to 11 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba. Participation in the event will signify MATRADE’s continued commitment to highlight the strength and capabilities of Malaysian food and beverage (F&B) sector, allowing capable and export-ready SMEs to expand their brands’ presence and establish business partnerships in the country.
A total of 15 Malaysian companies with three (3) Government agencies will be participating in the four-day event under the Malaysia Pavilion spearheaded by MATRADE. This year’s event will feature a wide variety of Malaysian F&B products such as premium seafood, frozen food, agricultural products, cocoa-based products, palm-oil-based products, ready-to-eat (RTE) products, readymade paste, and bakery products. As the national trade promotion agency of Malaysia, MATRADE continues to leverage strategic collaborations with various Ministries and agencies to enhance the country’s branding and visibility with the participation of three (3) Government agencies namely, the Malaysian Cocoa Board (LKM), Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) and Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) which collectively led several other Malaysian companies in exploring export opportunities for the industry in Japan.
According to Remee Yaakub, Director of Halal, F&B, and Agro-Based Section of MATRADE, Malaysia’s participation in FOODEX aims to further strengthen the market visibility of Malaysian F&B products in Japan, an important export destination for Malaysia since decades ago. “The F&B industry in Japan is import-dependent with the total F&B market value including retail sales reaching USD 500 billion, which definitely would offer ample opportunities for our companies. Malaysian companies can leverage their participation in FOODEX to explore new growth areas for export. Among the identified opportunities, including collaboration and partnership for the upcoming World Expo 2025 in Japan and Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya in 2026”, Remee said.
Malaysia signed a bilateral Free Trade Agreement with Japan under the Malaysia Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (MJEPA) as well as a regional Free Trade Agreement under the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (AJCEP). “In term of exporting our products to Japan, Malaysian companies are encouraged to leverage on the existing tariff elimination and reduction on the export of key products into Japan derived from these two trade agreements, Japanese companies are now actively looking at diversifying into F&B business to cater to the expected increase in demand due to Japan role in hosting the World Expo and Asian Games, which will be taking place in 2025 and 2026 respectively. The demand momentum towards Halal products remains strong and for that reason, we are promoting the upcoming MIHAS 2022 as well hence envisages for strong participation by Japanese businesses”, said Niqman Rafaee, Trade Commissioner of MATRADE Tokyo.
In 2021, Malaysia’s exports of processed food recorded double-digit growth of 15.6 percent to reach RM24.6 billion from RM21.28 billion last year. Export to Japan also increased significantly by 12.5 percent to RM1.05 billion as compared to 2020 which recorded RM0.94 billion. Japan was Malaysia’s eighth largest export destination for processed food last year contributing to 4.3 percent of the total export share in 2021.
