ID :
76054
Wed, 08/19/2009 - 15:07
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/76054
The shortlink copeid
MATRADE SEES POTENTIAL FOR M'SIAN PROCESSED FOOD IN THE US
From Manik Mehta
NEW JERSEY (USA), Aug 19 (Bernama) -- After the two-week visit to New York by the so-called "Malaysia Kitchen Programme" delegation of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), a Matrade delegation of eight Malaysian food processors is currently visiting the east coast to promote Malaysia's processed food exports to the US market.
Prakas Nair, director (America Section) at the Matrade headquarters in Kuala
Lumpur, spoke of "good business potential" for Malaysian processed food products
in the US market.
"There is a growing realisation that exports of Malaysia's processed food
products have strong growth potential in the United States, considering that the
Malaysia brand stands for quality and reliability," he told BERNAMA at a
match-making session between Malaysian exporters and US importers on Tuesday at
the Westin Hotel in Jersey City, New Jersey.
"Processed food is becoming very important for Malaysia's exports. In 2008,
we exported US$300 million worth of processed food to the United States out
of our global exports of processed food worth some US$3.6 billion.
"Cocoa products and seafood are some of the major processed food products
exported," Prakas Nair said, adding that there was good potential to increase
other types of processed food to the US market.
Asked why Malaysian processed food exporters did not participate in
the New York Fancy Food Show held here in June, he said Matrade had embarked on
an "innovative approach" focused on match-making between specific buyers and
their suppliers.
"This match-making between suppliers and importers is tailor-made to promote
direct business contacts. Our experience is that this is a better way to promote
contacts than participating in a trade show where there are other distractions
and both suppliers and buyers cannot give each other quality time and proper
attention.
"Besides, this is far less expensive than participating in a trade show," he
said.
Nair said a similar exercise was carried out last year when a Matrade-led
delegation visited Vancouver and Los Angeles.
"We felt that after visiting the west coast, we should also conduct a
similar mission to two cities on the east coast," he said.
Describing the event as "successful" given the exclusive character of
meetings between exporters and importers, Nair said Matrade was, in fact,
trying to introduce more such missions for other products such as textiles and
garments and furniture.
"Based on the feedback received from many of our exporters, the reaction has
been positive," he said.
After visiting the east coast of the United States, the delegation will
leave on Wednesday for Toronto, Canada, because, as in the United States, Canada
also has a growing and increasingly prosperous ethnic market which has the
capacity to absorb more of Malaysia's processed food products.
But Matrade is also keen to break into the mainstream US market and not be
content with penetrating into just the ethnic market.
"We are also trying to reach out to the mainstream market. We see an
opportunity to capitalise on our good quality standards, particularly now that
we have an advantage over other suppliers whose quality standards are creating
doubts in the minds of local consumers," he said, implicitly referring to the
problems encountered by Chinese food products whose quality has come for sharp
scrutiny in local circles.
"The Malaysia brand stands for quality," Nair added.
-- BERNAMA
NEW JERSEY (USA), Aug 19 (Bernama) -- After the two-week visit to New York by the so-called "Malaysia Kitchen Programme" delegation of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), a Matrade delegation of eight Malaysian food processors is currently visiting the east coast to promote Malaysia's processed food exports to the US market.
Prakas Nair, director (America Section) at the Matrade headquarters in Kuala
Lumpur, spoke of "good business potential" for Malaysian processed food products
in the US market.
"There is a growing realisation that exports of Malaysia's processed food
products have strong growth potential in the United States, considering that the
Malaysia brand stands for quality and reliability," he told BERNAMA at a
match-making session between Malaysian exporters and US importers on Tuesday at
the Westin Hotel in Jersey City, New Jersey.
"Processed food is becoming very important for Malaysia's exports. In 2008,
we exported US$300 million worth of processed food to the United States out
of our global exports of processed food worth some US$3.6 billion.
"Cocoa products and seafood are some of the major processed food products
exported," Prakas Nair said, adding that there was good potential to increase
other types of processed food to the US market.
Asked why Malaysian processed food exporters did not participate in
the New York Fancy Food Show held here in June, he said Matrade had embarked on
an "innovative approach" focused on match-making between specific buyers and
their suppliers.
"This match-making between suppliers and importers is tailor-made to promote
direct business contacts. Our experience is that this is a better way to promote
contacts than participating in a trade show where there are other distractions
and both suppliers and buyers cannot give each other quality time and proper
attention.
"Besides, this is far less expensive than participating in a trade show," he
said.
Nair said a similar exercise was carried out last year when a Matrade-led
delegation visited Vancouver and Los Angeles.
"We felt that after visiting the west coast, we should also conduct a
similar mission to two cities on the east coast," he said.
Describing the event as "successful" given the exclusive character of
meetings between exporters and importers, Nair said Matrade was, in fact,
trying to introduce more such missions for other products such as textiles and
garments and furniture.
"Based on the feedback received from many of our exporters, the reaction has
been positive," he said.
After visiting the east coast of the United States, the delegation will
leave on Wednesday for Toronto, Canada, because, as in the United States, Canada
also has a growing and increasingly prosperous ethnic market which has the
capacity to absorb more of Malaysia's processed food products.
But Matrade is also keen to break into the mainstream US market and not be
content with penetrating into just the ethnic market.
"We are also trying to reach out to the mainstream market. We see an
opportunity to capitalise on our good quality standards, particularly now that
we have an advantage over other suppliers whose quality standards are creating
doubts in the minds of local consumers," he said, implicitly referring to the
problems encountered by Chinese food products whose quality has come for sharp
scrutiny in local circles.
"The Malaysia brand stands for quality," Nair added.
-- BERNAMA
