Brazil Plans To Leverage On Malaysia's Halal Status

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Bernama) -- Brazil plans to leverage on Malaysia's position as a halal hub to tap into the ASEAN market, particularly for its poultry and beef products. Brazilian Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply Minister Blairo Maggi said as one of the largest producers of vegetables, corn, soybean, poultry and beef in Latin America, Brazil could benefit from Malaysia's halal status. "These products can then be exported to Malaysia to be processed and packaged before being marketed to other ASEAN countries," he told reporters at the Malaysia-Brazil Business Forum entitled 'Overview of Agribusiness on Brazil' here Tuesday. Maggi said he was confident the two countries would continue to explore and work together to improve trade volume, as well as diversify business ties. In 2015, the total trade volume between the two countries stood at US$2.36 billion (RM9.8 billion) against US$2.17 billion (RM9 billion) previously. Malaysia imports metal scrap as well as agricultural and petroleum products from Brazil while its exports to the country comprise mainly electrical and electronics products, rubber products and machinery. Maggi also invited Malaysian investors to venture into other sectors in Brazil such as infrastructure and logistics. Meanwhile, National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM) Secretary-General Syed Hussein Al Habshee said Malaysia was facing a shortage of poultry and beef. He urged the government to look into the import policy regarding beef and poultry to ensure competitive prices which could be further reduced with higher supply in the country. The one–day forum is organised by NCCIM as an effort to bring the business communities of the two countries closer. --BERNAMA