KUALA LUMPUR, 14 JULY: This year, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) expects to work with almost 13,000 Malaysian businesses through its export development and promotion programs. These programs, according to Abu Bakar Yusof, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Exporters Development), are designed to increase the resilience of local businesses in the post-Covid-19 recovery period.
“The programs are centered on the development of more export champions in high-value sectors, the use of digital platforms, inclusiveness, tapping into current market trends, and forging strategic collaborations,” he said today during a screen setting session on the second day of eNational Export Day (eNED2021).
The exporters development programs, according to Abu Bakar, focus on providing enterprises with the skills they need to gain a competitive edge and promote the values of sustainability outlined in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
He believes the eNED2021 is timely as the government’s commitment to sustainability and digitalization comes to fruition.
Both topics are relevant to the entire export supply chain, as digitalisation is not limited to e-commerce but can include all processes, and sustainability refers to the full concept rather just bits and pieces of preference.
As a result, he said, MATRADE is pushing for additional local enterprises to join the agency in carrying out this objective.
“We have the Sustainability Action Values for Exporters (SAVE) Program to advocate for sustainability among exporters, which is a manifestation of MATRADE’s leadership role in the adoption of sustainability, in line with the UN SDG.”
In terms of digitisation, MATRADE makes considerable use of technology to promote exports as a substitute to traditional physical operations that are no longer viable.”
MATRADE uses digital technology to perform export promotion programs in accordance with the new standards, which reduces expenses not only for the government but also for exporters, easing their financial burden.
Online business-to-business (B2B) meetings, also known as eBizMatch, are one of the methods in place, according to Abu Bakar.
MATRADE conducted 1,365 eBizmatch sessions for 1,115 Malaysian companies and 703 international customers in 2020 alone.
“This endeavor is currently underway, with 354 eBizMatch meetings held for the year as of May 31,” he stated./n
