Singapore Malay Chamber Of Commerce Keen on Cooperating With Malaysian SMEs

The Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry is keen on cooperating with its business counterparts in Malaysia, especially small medium enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs, its President Abdul Rohim Sarip said.

Among the initiatives to be jointly explored is the herbal-based biotechnology sector such as cosmetics and Halal food products, actively being promoted in Malaysia through the creation of the Halal hub in the country, he said.

He was speaking during a courtesy visit to Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim at his official residence here.

"An increase in cooperation between the SMEs of both countries will further enhance two-way trade," he said.

Abdul Rohim also said 80 per cent of the business in Singapore was that of SMEs and this made it well suited to cooperate with common partners from Malaysia.

He also saw opportunities for Malaysian and Singaporean companies to undertake joint promotions of their products and services overseas.

According to Abdul Rohim, there is a RM15 million fund contributed by the governments of both countries for this purpose.

However, he highlighted that at present, not much of it is used by companies from both Malaysia and Singapore.

On the SMEs involved in the Chamber in Singapore he said:" Most are involved in home-based industries such as food and Halal cosmetics apart from the services sector in logistics."

Abdul Rohim arrived in Selangor Friday morning together with a 19-member delegation with the aim of enhancing the trade network in Malaysia as well as explore business opportunities in the country before ending their visit on Saturday.