PETALING JAYA: Malaysian wood manufacturers generated over RM118 million in export value for their businesses at the Malaysian Wood Expo (MWE) 2019, held on Nov 20, according to a statement released by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade).
This was achieved through business meetings organised by Matrade and its business matching programme known as the International Sourcing Programme (INSP), which linked up 93 Malaysian manufacturers of wood-based products with 64 buyers from 14 countries.
Matrade director of construction and business services Rusiah Mohamed said the INSP provides a cost-effective platform for Malaysian companies to meet global buyers at the comfort of their home country.
“Apart from meeting with potential buyers from around the world, the initiative helps Malaysian companies gather various insights on the global buyers’ requirements and this is essential for them to be more competitive globally,” she said.
Among the buyers who attended the INSP were from China, South Korea, India, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, United States, Mexico, France and Poland.
The products sourced by these foreign buyers included wooden doors, sawn timber, plywood, veneer, wooden floorings and furniture products.
Moving forward into 2020, Rusiah said Matrade will ramp up its efforts to ensure Malaysian products are sought after by the world.
“Come 2020, Matrade will spearhead the participation of Malaysians wood-based products manufacturers in significant trade events such as Worldbex 2020, MegaBuild Indonesia, Mosbuild 2020, Acetech Mumbai, Construction Indonesia, the Big 5 Dubai and Buildtech Yangon,” she said.
