ABUNDANT BUSINESSS OPPORTUNTIES IN ACEH

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- There are abundant business
opportunities for Malaysian companies in Aceh, Indonesia, as it is in the midst
of economic recovery following the tsunami, the Malay Chamber of Commerce
Malaysia (MCCM) vice-president, Faudzi Naim Noh said.

"The economy there is growing. After the tsunami, there are even more
businesses being undertaken, compared to before. The registration of cars alone
has reached 5,000 annually," Faudzi told a press conference here Friday.

He said although most of Acheh's development was destroyed by the tsunami
three years ago, the people have now successfully rebuilt industries.

"There is a strong demand for Malaysian products there. A lot of their
products are imported, including from Malaysia.

"Even chicken eggs are imported with the figure coming close to 10 million
daily," he added.

He said opportunities exist in areas such as halal food, consumer products,
building materials and tourism.

According to Faudzi, with a five million Muslim population, Aceh's halal
industry offers tremendous opportunity for local enterprenuers to market their
products in this sector.

He disclosed that the MCCM is taking a delegation of about 100 local
businessmen to Aceh to stage a five-day exhibition there in the quest for
potential business opportunities.

The "Malaysian Exhibition and Investment Mission Aceh 2009" from April
29-May 3, will see 50 booths showcasing Malaysian products.

Among the products are those for agriculture, education, tourism as well as
food and beverage.

"We expect these companies to secure business worth at least RM100,000 each.
At last year's exhibtion, 16 companies raked in business to the value of RM3.2
million," Faudzi said.

-- BERNAMA