Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) continues its push to promote Malaysia as a sourcing hub in Southeast Asia for Europe. MATRADE will be spearheading the participation of Malaysian companies at Food Ingredients Europe 2022 (FI Europe) taking place in Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, France from 6 to 8 December 2022 to further grow Malaysia’s export to the region.
Considered as a leading food ingredients exhibition in Europe and also the second largest globally, this year’s Fi Europe will feature close to 1,000 exhibitors from over 64 countries.
Twelve Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the food ingredient sector will be highlighting the nation’s strengths in this segment at the trade fair. Among the products offered by these homegrown SMEs include seasonings, food colourings, food fragrances, cocoa-based products, coconut-based products, oleo chemical products and sauces & pastes.
F&B and Agro Based Section Director of Halal Remee Yaakub said apart from high quality and reliability, Malaysia’s narrative at the Malaysia Pavilion will be centred on our companies’ readiness in Halal. “Halal is regarded as unique value proposition to reflect good governance in supply chain management. Malaysia’s Halal Industry Master Plan (HIMP) 2030 has also stipulated that food ingredient products are a sub-segment to drive the Halal agenda. We believe the values that Halal offers will be favourably received by importers from markets in the European Union (EU), as well as from other areas,” he said.
In addition, the demand for halal foods and beverages has increased as a result of the surge in Muslim tourism in Europe. In order to meet this demand, producers and retailers are either sourcing halal goods domestically or importing them from countries like Malaysia.
In the same vein, MATRADE’s Trade Commissioner in Frankfurt Madam Zuhaila Sedek said that Fi Europe provides an opportunity for Malaysian SMEs to explore new prospects apart from expanding their partnerships with current clients from around the world. “Participating in a renowned international trade show like Fi Europe gives Malaysia the chance to showcase its network of exporters who are equipped for the EU market.
These SMEs will serve as the case studies used by MATRADE’s global trade offices to illustrate Malaysia's positioning as the world's preferred sourcing destination,” she said.
According to research conducted by Mordor Intelligence, the European food ingredient market was valued at USD 71,143.76 million in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 87,650.35 million by 2025. The food ingredient market in France alone is considered the largest in Europe and was valued at USD 11,463.02 million in 2020, and is projected to reach USD 13,847.00 million by 2025.
Malaysia’s participation in Fi Europe is also hoped to boost trade relations with Europe, as it is an important trading partner for Malaysia. In the first ten months of 2022, trade between Malaysia and Europe expanded by 19.4 per cent to RM214.66 billion. Malaysia’s total exports to Europe grew by 18.2 per cent valued at RM 117.07 billion, while total imports from Europe increased by 20.8 per cent to RM97.59 billion.
