A bigger market share for Malaysia’s halal products

WEIFANG: Malaysia’s halal products will get a larger market share in China with the first batch of imports entering via the China-Malaysia halal silk road.

The sea route, linking Northport (Malaysia) in Port Klang and Weifang Sime Darby Port in China, is aimed at facilitating and promoting halal trade for Malaysian small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) mainly in the northeast and northwest China.

On Monday, the first shipment of halal goods comprising food, beverages and daycare products from Malaysia arrived at the port in Weifang at Shangdong province.

Weifang is the direct route into the Muslim heartland of China which includes the Henan, Ningxia, Gansu and Xinjiang regions which has a total Muslim population of some 2.1 billion.

Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) trade counsellor in China, Razida Hanim Abdul Razak, said China’s halal market was growing rapidly.

“As one of the major markets for Malaysia’s halal items, China imported some 12% of our products last year,” she added at the Malaysia-China Halal Silk Route Maiden Container Showcase here on Monday.

Some 150 wholesalers, retailers and businessmen in trading, import and export industries attended the event, which also marked the first anniversary of the sister port alliance of the two ports.

Northport (Malaysia) chief executive officer Datuk Azman Shah Mohd Yusof said the partnership provided an end-to-end hassle free export service to Malaysian exporters.

“A one-stop centre was set up to handle shipping-related services including haulage, pre-clearance of documentation, container handling, warehousing and product delivery to customers in China,” he added.

He was confident that the Halal Silk Route would provide a great opportunity for all, as China is estimated to reach an annual halal food consumption of US$21.2bil (RM82.84bil).

Sime Darby Logistics managing director Timothy Lee said China is working hard towards becoming a halal hub and Weifang is the first port operator to obtain halal certification from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) for the handling of such products.