Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) chairman Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the sales amount marked a significant increase of 57.9% over the RM943.46 million recorded in 2023.
He said more companies took part this time in the exhibition. Last year, only 71 companies took part and the exhibition was extended from four days to five days this year.
“Of the total sales, RM579.1 million were actual sales while RM916.75 million are potential sales,” he told Bernama.
Reezal said the success reflected Malaysian companies’ ability to expand their exports and enter global markets through platforms such as Gulfood.
He was proud to note that most of the companies were micro, small and medium enterprises, with the majority being Bumiputera companies.
He said Matrade would continue to monitor the progress of the sales every month to ensure the potential sales of RM916.75 million were realised.
Aside from the participation of private companies, five government agencies were also part of the delegation to Dubai — the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority, Majlis Amanah Rakyat, Malaysian Palm Oil Council, SME Bank and the Selangor State Development Corporation.
According to Reezal, palm oil products recorded the highest sales with a value of RM877.50 million, followed by beverages (RM289.9 million), condensed milk (RM106.15 million), frozen food (RM85.66 million), agricultural products (RM55.96 million), snacks (RM40.71 million), ready-to-eat products (RM20.62 million), biscuits (RM12.6 million), and spices (RM0.46 million).
Furthermore, a total of 10,622 business matching sessions were conducted by Malaysian exhibition participants throughout the event with importers and distributors from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and beyond.
Gulfood 2024 is seen as an effective platform for Malaysian companies to explore export opportunities and collaborations in the global market and showcase their products and services.
During the official visit to Dubai, Reezal also witnessed the exchange of memoranda of understanding between Malaysian and international companies at the Malaysian pavilion as part of efforts to enter the Middle Eastern market.
He said one of the MoUs was an agreement between Agym Nutrition Sdn Bhd and Eureka Drinks Sdn Bhd with an international company, opening up new opportunities for the export of Malaysian health products and energy drinks to the Middle Eastern market.