Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed led a trade and investment mission to India and Sri Lanka from May 1-6 in a continuous effort to promote Malaysia as a profit and regional centre for businesses and investments.
Together with top officials of the Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA), including its Deputy Chief Executive Officer II, Datuk Rajendran Narayanasamy, investment seminars will be held in New Delhi and Colombo.
Participating in the 44-member trade and investment mission are private sector companies comprising mainly small-and-medium-sized enterprises seeking opportunities in the two South Asian nations, which have long-standing business and cultural ties with Malaysia.
MIDA Executive Director Investment Promotion Arham Abd. Rahman said the companies are from the infrastructure, food and beverage, airways, information technology, manufacturing and services sectors.
Other than MIDA, officials from the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and the Malaysia & India Business Council (MIBC) are also part of the mission.
The programme during the mission includes individual meetings with Indian and Sri Lankan companies, business seminars on investment opportunities in Malaysia, site visits, gatherings with Malaysian professionals and diaspora, as well as networking and business matching events.
The seminar in Colombo was held at the Cinnamon Grand.
Malaysia’s trade with Sri Lanka amounted to US$570 million last year with exports at US$480 million and imports, US$90 million.
Major products exported to Sri Lanka were palm oil and palm-based products (18 per cent of total exports to the country), chemicals and chemical products (14.7 per cent), petroleum products (10.6 per cent), electrical and electronic products (9.4 per cent) and machinery, appliances & parts (8.6 per cent).