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YB DATUK MUKHRIZ MAHATHIR
TIMBALAN MENTERI PERDAGANGAN ANTARABANGSA DAN INDUSTRI
PROGRAM MATRADE BERSAMA USAHAWAN DAN PENGEKSPORT
20 SEPTEMBER 2011 (SELASA)
PERSADA JOHOR INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE
JOHOR
Assalamualaikum W.B.T dan Salam 1Malaysia.
Yang Berusaha Dato’ Zakaria Kamarudin
Pengarah Kanan MATRADE,
Tuan-tuan dan Puan-puan yang saya hormati sekalian.
1. Terlebih dahulu saya ingin mengucapkan syukur ke hadrat Allah SWT kerana kita semua dapat berkumpul pada hari ini sempena Program MATRADE dengan Usahawan dan Pengeksport di negeri Johor. Saya mengucapkan syabas kepada semua yang hadir dan juga kepada MITI, MATRADE dan semua agensi-agensi MITI yang mengambil bahagian di dalam usaha berterusan mereka berkongsi maklumat dan berinteraksi bersama pihak industri bagi membantu usahawan dan pengeksport Johor menangani saingan dan cabaran-cabaran yang dihadapi bagi membangun dan memperkasakan lagi usahawan dan pengeksport Malaysia terutama dalam keaadan ekonomi dunia yang semakin lembab. Semoga apa jua hasil perbincangan dan dialog pada hari ini akan mendatangkan hasil demi kejayaan dan manfaat kita bersama.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
2. MATRADE, being the national trade promotion agency, organises a series of dialogues and networking session throughout the country. For the Southern region, various exporters’ development seminars and workshops are being held every month to equip companies with business knowledge and market intelligence to assist them in venturing into the global arena.
3. Today, after this dialogue, apart from meeting with the related government agencies like SME Corporation, SME Bank, HDC, MIDA, MPC, MIDF, INSKEN, EXIM Bank, SIRIM and TPM Biotech during the “trade clinic” session, two successful SMEs, namely Salutary Avenue Manufacturing Services Sdn Bhd and Grace Cosmetics Industries Sdn Bhd will be sharing with you their experiences in venturing into global market.
4. Especially for Johor, MATRADE has also invited its former Trade Commissioners from the Netherlands and Tokyo to discuss the business opportunities available in these two countries. I am sure these sessions will further facilitate and broaden your horizons.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
5. Malaysia’s global trade expanded by 7.7% to RM724.09 for the period Jan-Jul 2011 as compared to 2010. Exports for the same period grew by 6.9% to RM396.35 billion while imports expanded by 8.7% to RM327.75 billion. In terms of contribution to total exports, the manufacturing sector continued to be the leading export sector accounting for 68.3% of total exports with a value of RM270.58 billion.
6. Export performance by product sectors was mixed, with major gainers being chemicals and chemical products, manufactures of metal, textiles and clothing, processed food and iron and steel products.
7. Exports of services also increased by 4.7% to RM52.44 billion for Jan-June, 2011 as compared with the corresponding period in 2010. In fact, the second quarter performance of the exports of services was 8.3% higher than the previous quarter. The export performance of selected services sub-sectors which contribute to the growth for the period include construction, ICT services, insurance and financial services which increased by 23.5% to RM17.37 billion and transportation services increased by 2.1% to RM7.67 billion.
8. Malaysia’s trade in 2011 is projected to grow although at a slower rate compared with 2010. With IMF forecast of world trade volume to increase by 8.2%, imports from advanced economies to increase by 6.0% and emerging and developing-economies to also increase by 12.1%, we envisage that the growth for Malaysia’s exports will be led by the developing and emerging markets.
9. This is indeed in line with the recent growths registered for the two busiest ports-Port Klang, increased by 8.9% and Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) by 16.8%. Both these ports have been left largely unscathed by the slowdown in international commerce. In particular, PTP which is located here in Johor registered a remarkable 16.8% growth for the first half of this year.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
10. According to a census conducted by the government, there are nearly 700,000 SMEs registered in Malaysia. However, only 56,978 SMEs that were registered in Johor in 2010 of which less than 2,000 were registered by MATRADE and SME Corp as already exporting or export-ready companies.
11. To assist these SMEs especially those that are pursuing the export market, MITI through MATRADE will continue to undertake various programmes in the areas of Exporters Development and Export Promotion.
12. Businesses interested in the export market should attend the Seminars, Briefings and Workshops on Export-related topics organised by MATRADE to broaden your knowledge and understanding on the subject. In addition, MATRADE also circulates online newsletters, trade magazines and trade leads to its registered members to keep you updated on trade developments that are evolving around the world.
13. For locally held but of international level trade exhibitions, again this year MATRADE will organise International Trade Malaysia or INTRADE 2011 to be held at MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur from the 22nd-24th of November 2011. This is the 5th series organised so far to show case export-ready products and services to an audience who are on the lookout for quality products and services, and good business opportunities. For large organisations, this is a good platform to create and enhance brand loyalty and outreach. For the niche SME's, it is a platform to bring wide customer reach to your brand. As one of ASEAN's leading export-oriented trade platform, trade buyers and visitors converge at INTRADE Malaysia as they explore and are convinced of the brands, products and services that they see and try. INTRADE 2011 features all industries, products and services which are export-ready. For this year, product clusters comprise:
• Automotive;
• Electrical & Electronics;
• Food & Beverage;
• Furniture & Interiors;
• Gifts, Souvenirs, Handicrafts & Jewellery;
• Health, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics & Personal Care;
• Industry Support;
• Information & Communication Technology;
• Professional & Business Services; and
• Wood Products.
14. For this year’s INTRADE, MATRADE expects about 9,000 visitors from 80 participating countries will visit the event and as many as 7,300 business meetings will be arranged during the 3-day event. Last year’s INTRADE concluded with RM4.2 billion worth of on the spot and potential trade sales from these business meetings.
15. In conjunction with INTRADE 2011 that has been successfully organized for the past four years, the KL International Trade Forum (KLITF) will also be held at the same venue on the 24th of November 2011. This forum provides an interactive platform for business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors to gain insights into global business prospects and opportunities, to network and establish collaboration towards gaining a competitive edge in the challenging global market.
16. Distinguished speakers from Malaysia and abroad will share their knowledge and personal experiences in breaking through the international market and sustaining their businesses internationally through implementation of business strategies effective for their business entity. The audience will have the opportunity to learn best business practices, growth strategies, cost-cutting measures and innovative solutions to stay ahead of the competition in international trade.
17. This year, KLITF is expected to attract about 1,500 local and international participants. Entrepreneurs, exporters and business leaders from Johor are highly encouraged to participate in these two events.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
18. In this era of intense competition globally, SMEs in Johor are also encouraged to fully utilise the Free Trade Agreemetns (FTAs) negotiated bilaterally or regionally to further enhance market access for Malaysia’s products and services.
19. For this, we are glad to note that there was an increase in the utilisation rate of preferential schemes achieved under the regional and bilateral FTAs which has contributed to the growing trade between Malaysia and its FTA partners. Trade with almost all FTAs partners increased in the 7 months of 2011 which totalling to 343,457 Certificate Of Origins issued for the whole of Malaysia with the Free on Board (FOB) valued at RM72,987 billion. The top products utilising the Preferential Tariffs are:
• RDB Palm Oil;
• LCD TV;
• Furniture and wooden bed;
• Latex and nitrile examination gloves;
• Prepared binders (chemicals) for foundry mould;
• Compressor in refrigerating system;
• Air conditioner;
• Fully refrigerated butane;
• Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG); and
• Acetic acid.
20. In this regard, I urge Johor companies to participate in these preferential tariffs provided under the Free Trade Agreements for effective market access and marketing.
21. Apart from that, Johor SMEs are also encouraged to create links with larger exporting firms in order to develop a stronger supply chain to the already exporting firms. Targeted sectors are exporters of intermediate and capital goods in the E&E, oil & gas, automotive and medical devices sectors. This integration with the global supply chain is vital in sustaining our exports internationally which can be achieved through specialised programmes and marketing missions abroad targeting international procurement offices and trading establishments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
22. Finally, let me congratulate the organizers, especially the team that has been tasked with organising this programme and to thank all of you for your participation and continued support for this programme.
23. With the recitation of Bismillahhirrahmannirrahim, it gives me great pleasure to officially launch “Program MATRADE Bersama Usahawan dan Pengeksport Johor”.
Thank you. |
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