Malaysia a fertile market for fruit and vegetables

Malaysia a fertile market for fruit and vegetables

Kuala Lumpur: Imported fresh fruits and vegetables from Thailand have high potential in Malaysia but Thai exporters must follow Malaysian product import requirements, which will become stricter next year.

Tesco's Malaysian and Thai executives Mr Azlam and Ms Salinla join Ms Vichada (right), commercial counsellor at the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur, to promote the export of Thai fruits and vegetables to the neighbouring country.

Vichada Pabunjertkit, commercial counsellor at the Thai embassy in the Malaysian capital, said a regulation on grading, packaging and labelling (GPL) will be imposed on fresh fruits and vegetables imported from Thailand and other countries.

Thai exporters will need to clearly show produce quality and grading, names of importer and exporter and produce weight on their packages and labels.

"Thai foods have a lot of market potential in Malaysia but exporters should pay more attention to related regulations, particularly the halal requirement. They have to study what kind of products need to have GPL certification," Ms Vichada said.

If food exporters can follow this stricter regulation, their product competitiveness will eventually rise.

Thai products are well accepted among Malaysian buyers, with Malaysia among the world's top four export markets for Thai products and the largest market in Asean. The export value of Thai products to Malaysia was US$13 billion last year, up by 4.7% from 2012.

Malaysia has a clear policy to become a developed country by 2020. Its government plans to promote each business sector including tourism, resulting in more foreign investment and creating more demand.

Thai exporters can export products to Malaysia on their own or via the Tesco Lotus network.

Tesco Lotus corporate affairs director Salinla Seehaphan said the hypermarket chain is delighted to support Thai exports. This year, it is focusing on exports to emerging markets including Malaysia.

Tesco Lotus has exported many Thai products to Tesco stores in 12 countries around the world. These included seasonal fruits, seafood, canned pet food and toys and stationery with an export value of around 3.2 billion baht in 2013. It expects to increase export value by 15% to 3.68 billion baht this year.

The retailer is working to increase exports of seasonal fruits to Malaysia. Tesco is a major retailer in Malaysia, so its stores are great channels to promote and distribute Thai products.

Azlam Shah Alias, government and corporate affairs director of Tesco Malaysia, said about 30% of products available at its stores in Malaysia are imported, including packed rice, canned fish, shampoo, sauce, paper and stationery from Thailand.

"Thai packed rice is the most popular among Malaysian customers at our Tesco stores," he said.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT