SINGAPORE (Bernama): Mi kolok, layer cakes, chocolates, white pepper, and black pepper were among the signature products from the Land of the Hornbills available at the Sarawak Pavilion at the Malaysia Fest 2025 expo currently taking place in Singapore until Sunday (Aug 3).
Sarawak Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) Director Norsalawaty Abdul Kadir said these products have their own uniqueness, making them suitable not only for selling directly to visitors but also have export potential.
"For example, the Borco branded chocolate from D Mummy’s Recipe sold here are made of Bornean cocoa and comes in dabai (Borneo olive), empelajo, and sour brinjal flavours. These are fruit and vegetables grown in Sarawak.
"Other markets might have chocolates that contain hazelnut or almond, but Sarawak has empelajo which has a richer taste than almond,” she told Bernama.
Norsalawaty said five entrepreneurs from the state have been selected to participate in the Sarawak Pavilion at the expo.
She said this first-ever participation by the Sarawak state government through the Ministry of International Trade, Industry, and Investment Sarawak (MINTRED) has been well-received, and hoped that more aspiring entrepreneurs would take part in the expo next year.
"We have also matched Sarawakian entrepreneurs and business people with exporters in Singapore.
"All the entrepreneurs that we brought here are export ready, including in terms of production capacity, in addition to having the required certification such as halal certification,” she said.
Norsalawaty said for the first time at this Malaysia Fest, FAMA had brought in 400 kilograms of citron from Sarawak to allow visitors to sample and enjoy the agricultural produce as part of the "Island of Tropical Fruits” segment.
"For the time being, citron is not yet widely grown in Sarawak. If there is demand here, we hope it can motivate our farmers,” she said.
FAMA had brought in about 10 tonnes of tropical and seasonal fruit to the expo this time.
Jutaan Purnama Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Saiful Hammidi Hamid, said the company’s products such as Purnama Taste branded mi kolok, mi kampua and mi pok are looking for opportunities to be exported to Singapore and the wider market.
He believed Sarawakian products have their own market as well as able to penetrate the wider international market.
"Our products are now marketed not just in Malaysia but also in Paris this year following our participation at the expo there. They have been very well received. We started small through cargo export and recently we started using containers,” he said.
Malaysia Fest 2025 themed "Unlock The Treasures of Malaysia” is taking place from July 31 to August 3 at Hall 5A and 5B, Singapore Expo from 10 am to 10 pm.
Organised by MegaXpress International with the cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security through FAMA, the programme offers 321 booths and is participated in by 220 Malaysian entrepreneurial companies. - Bernama
