Several distributors of goods from Indonesia partook in the International Sourcing Program (INSP) business meeting held in conjunction with the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) to look for new market opportunities.
“Akin to imported products, they always have their own market. Most of the products in Malaysia are unique, where the market itself is not very large or does not exist yet,” Rendy, Director of PT ACK Indonesia, stated at the MIHAS INSP held by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation.
Rendy explained that he was looking for Malaysian products, as the majority of these products were halal, so his company could find a wider market segment in Indonesia with greater ease.
However, according to news agency Antara, the Indonesian people also tend to like unique products, so Rendy is optimistic that his efforts to attend INSP MIHAS would lead to the discovery of new market segments from the wide market of halal products in Indonesia.
He also said that Malaysia’s producers were willing to have their halal certification audited so that it provides certainty for consumers.
Moreover, economically, Malaysian products are competitively priced, thereby providing a distinct advantage for his company that distributes food and beverage products, such as snacks, biscuits, chocolates, candies, and cereals.
Rendy views the INSP event as an interesting opportunity, as he can easily find halal product manufacturers without having to conduct surveys and business meetings that are sometimes difficult to do.
Hence, he is optimistic that Indonesia would also do the same in the future so that Indonesian products can reach a wider market.
Sharing the same view as Rendy, Director of PT Riau Food Lestari Roni believes that the INSP event is a good opportunity, as it offers more prospects to meet big producers as well as to find interesting halal products.
Meanwhile, the owner of CV Natalindo Mentari Herman views the INSP MIHAS event as an interesting opportunity to discover unique Malaysian products.
“The quality is better. Moreover, Medan’s people also tend to prefer imported goods with attractive packaging,” he stated.
MIHAS is currently ongoing at MITEC with the involvement of almost 600 Malaysian exporters and more than 400 buyers from 50 countries. BusinessToday is the official media partner for the event.
