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Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) aims to engage with 13,000 Malaysian companies via various programmes curated to build global resilience in the post-Covid-19-era.

The national trade promotion agency has outlined 334 programmes for next year, out of which 277 are Exporters Development (ED) and 57 are Export Promotion (EP).

Matrade chief executive officer Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz said the agency plans to continue adding value to its signature ED programmes, namely eTRADE 2.0; Bumiputera, Women and Youth Exporters Development Programme; Mid-Tier Companies Development Programme; and X-SEED. “Complementing the ED programmes are various seminars and training programmes, as well as Matrade’s signature conferences such as The National Export Day, which is a mega exporters gathering. “We will also be focusing on driving Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and mid-tier companies (MTCs) to be more prepared in areas such as sustainability, digital transformation, Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Revolution 4.0 and artificial intelligence (AI),” he said in a statement Monday. Mustafa added the agency aimed to help Malaysian companies penetrate the international markets during these challenging times by providing updated market insights, while virtually linking foreign buyers with Malaysian companies through its 46 offices worldwide.

“The year 2021 will see Matrade doubling its efforts in engaging with digital tools to provide more business opportunities for Malaysian companies, particularly SMEs and MTCs.

“This will be carried out through strategic engagements with the public and private sector in Malaysia and abroad to identify new export opportunities in both conventional and emerging sectors,” he said.

For EP, the 57 programmes have been planned to enhance Malaysian companies’ export performance during the Covid-19 recovery period, including participation in international trade fairs and trade missions (export acceleration mission and trade and investment mission).

It also includes the International Sourcing Programme, which is Malaysia’s renowned business matching programme, and eBizMatch, a virtual format of business-to-business (B2B) pre-arranged meetings. Matrade said the EP programmes next year will focus on Malaysia’s key export sectors such as food and beverages, services, building materials, lifestyle, oil and gas, aerospace, machinery and equipment, as well as medical and pharmaceutical.

These programmes are focused on the creation of more export champions in high-value sectors, the utilisation of digital platforms, inclusiveness, tapping into current market trends, and forging strategic collaborations.

The ED programmes, in particular, will focus on equipping companies with the skills to develop a strategic advantage and promotes the values of sustainability as stipulated in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it said.

Over half (32 programmes) from EP will be held in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) economies, namely Australia, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.