Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi (left) visiting one of the booths at the Johor International Islamic and Halal Festival (Fijo) held in Persada Johor International Convention Centre, Johor Baru on Oct 2, 2022.
JOHOR BARU: The second edition of the Johor International Islamic and Halal Festival (Fijo) has attracted close to 100,000 visitors across four days.
The halal market still had a lot of potential to be expanded and the participation of exhibitors from 15 countries including Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey shows the high demand for such products, said Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
"With better collaboration among Islamic nations, especially between Malaysia and Indonesia, the market can be further tapped and expanded.
"In this effort, the state government is planning to conduct official visits to such nations soon, with Indonesia being our first stop," he told the media after attending the closing ceremony of Fijo at Persada Johor International Convention Centre here on Sunday (Oct 2).
However, he said that the plans also depended on when the 15th General Election would be held.
Regarding the four-day programme, Onn Hafiz said about RM20mil in trade value was projected through the event’s sales booths and the signing of a memorandum of understanding to export products from five local companies to Indonesia.
The first Fijo was held in 2019 and it was postponed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
