More than 30 Taiwanese food producers are taking part in the this year’s Malaysia International Food and Beverages (MIFB) trade fair this week in Kuala Lumpur.
A Taiwanese food pavilion at the fair offers fruits, rice, tea, cookies, mochi, candies and processed sauces, among other items. Certificates are available to show the products are free from plasticizer contamination, a major concern both at home and abroad following the plasticizer scare in May.
Malaysian Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Noh Omar visited the Taiwanese pavilion on Wednesday for its opening ceremony along with Representative to Malaysia Lo Yu-chung (羅由中).
Noh said he was impressed -after tasting Taiwan’s black-leaf lychee and alpine tea.
A Malaysian importer later placed an order for 6 tonnes of black-leaf lychees.
Deputy Representative to Malaysia Lin Ming-li (林明禮) said Taiwanese fruit has been well received in Malaysia because of its high quality, while Taiwanese sweets and other goodies are also a popular choice for Lunar New Year gifts among Malaysian Chinese.
Many Taiwanese food franchises have mushroomed in Malaysia in recent years, demonstrating the high potential of Taiwanese products.
With bilaterial trade ties growing steadily in recent years, trade between Taiwan and Malaysia reached US$13.67 billion last year, up 56.7 percent from 2009, Lin said. Taiwanese exports to Malaysia were valued at US$5.95 billion, while imports from Malaysia totaled US$7.72 billion, he said.
Bilateral trade in processed food increased 35.9 percent to US$147.57 million last year, with Taiwanese exports to Malaysia accounting for US$61.37 million and Malaysian exports to Taiwan totaling US$86.2 million, he said.
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