THE government is mulling ways for food and beverage (F&B) business operators to venture into other industries including production and manufacturing, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said.

He said the effort will be undertaken by relevant ministries to encourage micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to start exploring activities that can act as “feeders” to industries involving SMEs.

“As many as 79% of MSMEs in this country are micro-enterprises and most of them are involved in the F&B sector.

“We need to find a way to ensure that the MSMEs can be scaled so that they start exploring activities in the production and manufacturing sectors,” he said during a question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said this in reply to a supplementary question from Noraini Ahmad (Parit Sulong-BN) on the slump in China’s manufacturing industry which impacted MSMEs in Malaysia. 

Rafizi said China’s diminishing dominance in the manufacturing sphere provides good opportunities as investors and international industry players are taking steps to reduce their exposure to geopolitical risks in the country.

“We hope that with good policies, we will be able to attract more industry players to come to Malaysia,” he said. 

He said businesses involved in international trade need to start green compliance which will be enforced by the European Union and the United States to ensure that imported goods comply with the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

Rafizi said given the impact of the global economic slowdown on Malaysia’s trade performance, it is very important for the country and industries to ensure that products and services meet the needs of trading partners.

“This is why the government implemented the National Energy Transition Roadmap to ensure continued competitiveness for the manufacturing industry that trades internationally.

“This is because when the global economy starts to pick up again in one or two years time, we are ready to set our compliance with international regulations, giving us an edge over our competitors,” said Rafizi. – Bernama, October 10, 2023.