THE 11TH PENANG INTERNATIONAL HALAL EXPO & CONFERENCE (PIHEC 2022) – PRESS CONFERENCE

TALKING POINT FOR YAB CHOW KON YEOW

THE 11^TH PENANG INTERNATIONAL

HALAL EXPO & CONFERENCE

(PIHEC 2022) – PRESS CONFERENCE

7^TH JUNE 2022 (TUESDAY)

YB Dato’ Abdul Halim Hussain

Penang State Exco for Trade, Industry And Entrepreneur Development

Mr. Fazil Irwan Som

Chief Executive Officer Penang Halal International

Members Of Media

Ladies and gentlemen

A very good afternoon to all.

 

It is worth noting that despite at height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Penang recorded its all-time highest manufacturing investment in 2021 (RM76.2 billion), compared with RM14.11 billion in 2020. Penang also led the entire nation’s exports with a 33.9% share at RM42 billion in December 2021, as well as the nation’s total trade with RM64.3 billion, owing to a 41.7 percent increase in export growth, primarily in the E&E sector.

Moving forward, Penang is dedicated towards fulfilling our full potential for the Halal ecosystem in the state.

Penang’s premier Halal event, the 11^th Penang International Halal Expo & Conference (PIHEC) will take place on 1-3 July 2022 at the SPICE Convention Centre in Penang. The theme of PIHEC 2022 is "Building Resilience and Sustainability Towards Stronger Growth," reflecting the numerous challenges in today’s world.

 

PIHEC 2022 brings together some of the best manufacturers and buyers mainly in the Food and Beverage (F&B), financial services, fashion, tech and logistics sectors from countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia and Spain. There will be 161 booths in total, representing various business sectors in the Halal industry.

Sponsor for PIHEC: Penang Development Corporation (PDC), Grab and foodpanda.  

PIHEC 2022 will host several panel discussions on post-Covid business readjustments with an estimated 16 notable speakers such as:

1. Emeritus Annie Koh of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at the Singapore Management University (SMU)
2. Datuk Dr. Hamzah Kassim, Chairman of Hong Leong Islamic Bank

• Brigadier General Madam Charito B. Plaza, Director General of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)

1. Sayed Azam Ali, CEO of Crops for the Future in the UK
2. Muhammad Escudero, Director of Instituto Halal of Spain
3. Arividya Arimuthu, Senior Director at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Malaysia

• Tomas Guerrero Blanco, Director at the Halal Trade and Marketing Centre (HTMC) of the UAE.

Panel discussions will focus on topics such as adoption of sustainable technology in Halal, opportunities in the mega Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), logistics challenges due to high inflation and global food security.

There will also be several breakout sessions to help companies in various aspects of the Halal business namely:

1. Halal Certification Workshop (powered by Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Pulau Pinang),
2. Halal Business Training

• Invest in Penang session (powered by Invest Penang)

1. Halal Export Opportunities (powered by MATRADE and MDEC)
2. Tech Lab (powered by Digital Penang).

It is a great time to be receiving visitors from across Southeast Asia and other parts of the world as the Covid-19 pandemic is easing. There’s much to be discussed about how business should readjust and PIHEC 2022 is a timely platform for businesses to reconvene and discuss about the future of the Halal industry and forge greater business partnerships.