Malaysian firms expand operations in PH

Malaysian food and consumer product distributors Intisari Mulia International Inc (IMI) and Ascona International are set to expand their businesses in the Philippines due to strong local demand for their goods.

In a statement, the Trade Office of the Malaysian Embassy in Manila (Matrade Manila) said these companies were capitalizing on the growing demand for Malaysian palm oil, which is being distributed by IMI, and for halal products being supplied by Ascona.

IMI marketing and business development manager Charles Theodore Rivera was quoted in a statement as saying that the increase in local demand for their Saji palm oleine cooking oil had prompted them to expand their business in Dumaguete, Negros, Iloilo, and Davao within the year.

“We are also in talks with Julie’s bakeshop and other big companies,” Rivera said. “We want to cover the whole country by 2016 and we’re targeting 10 percent market share in cooking oil for the Philippines by 2016.”

IMI distributes Malaysian products in Cebu, Manila, Bohol and Camiguin. It supplies oil to San Miguel Corp. for feed milling plants located in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and Cebu.

In the same statement, Ascona managing director Jheng Fajardo Werdenberg disclosed that the company was also “eyeing to expand in Davao to cater to consumers looking for the best halal food choices.”

Ascona wants to eventually become a distributor of halal frozen bread such as chapatti and roti prata.

Currently, Ascona distributes halal products to Rustans, Shopwise, Metro Gaisano, SM Hypermarket, Landmark, South Supermarket and some Puregold branches.

IMI and Ascona were among the Malaysian companies that participated in the three-day Manila Food & Beverage Expo (Mafbex) held last week. Amy R. Remo