Matrade Brings 11 Firms To Xi'an Halal Food Festival Week 2014

From Mohd Khairi Idham Amran XI'AN (China), May 29 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) brings 11 companies to the Xi'an Halal Food Festival Week 2014 which began Tuesday until May 31. The companies coordinated by Matrade consists of Malaysian exporters to China. Matrade, the external trade promotion arm of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), said some of the products showcased at the festival had found firm access into the China market through its trade fair, Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), which has been held for 11 years in Kuala Lumpur. "In the past five years, there have been growing visitors and participation by companies from Western China. Thus, the display in the Xi’an Halal Food Festival Week is a testimony to the success of the MIHAS programme," the national trade promotion agency said in a statement Wednesday. The Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamed accompanied the Prime Minister Najib Razak during the visit to the Halal Food Festival Week on a signature pedestrian shopping street of the city, Beiyuanmen Street or also known as the Muslim Street. Mustapa and Najib were in the city in conjunction with the 40th Anniversary Celebration of Malaysia-China bilateral relations. Also present was the Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Going into the third year since its inception in 2012, the Xi'an Halal Food Festival Week is also participated by local importers of Malaysian products coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry and five government agencies and associations from Malaysia. The festival is expected to garner US$6.20 million (RM20 million) in sales this year as compared to US$4.65 million (RM15 million) last year. --BERNAMA