FAIR TO PROMOTE PENANG IN MEDAN

PENANG (Malaysia), Feb 25 (Bernama) -- The northern Penang state government
will hold its 38th Medan Fair in Pekan Raya, northern Sumatra, from March 20 to
April 15 to promote Penang to the Indonesians.

State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Abdul Malik
Abul Kassim said the promotion was not confined to tourism but included other
sectors like health, education, housing and property.

"The main objective of the fair is to promote the state's products,
especially halal products, and draw the people of Medan to utilise the health
facilites in Penang as well as to invest in properties in the state," he told
reporters here Wednesday.

He said, however, that the state government had decided to cut down
expenditure for the fair this year after the cost hit RM164,000 (US$1=RM3.66)
last year.

There would be a structural change and fewer officers on duty and the local
entrepreneurs would have to fork out their own expenses while accommodation
would be provided. he added.


Meanwhile, IMT-GT Joint Business Council Malaysia chairman Faudzi Naim
Noh said they were targeting about 25 participants for the fair.

He said that annually, the fair had received remarkable response with about
15 products of Malaysian small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) obtaining
sales licences in Medan.

Since the 2007, about RM25 million worth of Penang properties had been sold
in Indonesia, especially Medan, he said.

-- BERNAMA