DUBAI, Feb 20 –The five-day Sustainable Agriculture Week at Expo 2020 Dubai that begins tomorrow (Feb 21) is the best platform for Malaysian agro-based companies to further expand their market internationally.
Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation (Bioeconomy Corporation) chairman Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid said during the upcoming week, participants will be able to showcase their respective products throughout the upcoming week and gain opportunities to cooperate with companies in the Middle East, particularly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“The most important thing is for us to give Malaysian companies an opportunity to exhibit their products as well as to strengthen cooperation and bilateral relations with the UAE,” he told Malaysian media here today.
Iskandar Dzulkarnain said Bioeconomy Corporation, the main economic development agency for the biotechnology and bio-based industries, will always help farmers in Malaysia by conducting research and development (R&D) with other relevant government departments and agencies.
“R&D is very necessary for farmers to improve and develop their products. Besides that, we also provide training and other support,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jutawan Agriculture Products (M) Sdn Bhd director Sih Huay Heng said his company, which cultivates pineapples and other fruit-based products, wanted to participate in the Expo 2020 Dubai to expand its market in the Middle East, especially in Dubai.
Sih, who began his business in 1997, said his company currently exported about 22 tons of pineapples to the Middle East, with the MD2 and N36 varieties having high demand because of their sourish taste.
“Both these pineapple varieties are in high demand perhaps because their sourish taste suit the local cuisine here. The Josapine and Moris variety of pineapples are less in demand locally but more sought after in Malaysia,” he added.
Free The Seed Sdn Bhd chief executive officer and managing director P. Ramaness said he wanted to seek opportunities to further expand the market for biodegradable and compostable products from agro-waste or biomass such as padi straw.
He said the company’s products, including food packaging and egg containers, began to penetrate the UAE market, especially Dubai, about three years ago and they are also in demand in the European Union.
“This biodegradable product or ‘single use’ is very much in demand because it does not harm the environment compared to the use of plastics as it decomposes easily in only about six months.
“In Malaysia, for example, the Health Ministry also supports this effort by using biodegradable materials in hospitals for food packaging, sewage disposal as well as a container to place syringes, replacing the kidney steel tray,” he said, adding that the company had been operating since 2009 in Gurun, Kedah.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency