ASEAN Mall to serve as one-stop centre for halal products

PATTANI, July 6 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN Mall will serve as one-stop centre for promoting halal products from ASEAN member countries to penetrate the international market.

Costing 300 million baht, the 9,600-square metre mall, which incorporates the concept of waqf (endowment) and commercial, is expected to commence operations in October this year.

The mall, a Madinah Assalam Pattani project, is a collaboration between Uniti Asia Group, Pattani Holdings and Islamic Cooperative aimed at advancing the economy in southern Thailand, especially in Pattani.

Uniti Asia Group president Datuk Jamal Mohd Amin said the mall would serve as a platform offering business opportunities to Malaysian and Thai entrepreneurs to market halal products to penetrate the international market.

“Food and other products from ASEAN countries will be marketed here as it will serve as one-stop centre for member countries’ signature products, to help both local and ASEAN entrepreneurs.

“We are in the midst of carrying out networking efforts to attract more entrepreneurs from ASEAN member countries including Indonesia, Philippines and Laos to market their products at the mall,” he told reporters here today.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Fuziah Salleh said the Malaysia Islamic Economic Development Foundation (YaPEIM) would play its role in ensuring the success of the mall by bringing in entrepreneurs to market their products.

“This is a good business opportunity for entrepreneurs to penetrate local and international halal markets.

“With the ASEAN Mall, visitors don’t have to go to different locations to get products from member countries as majority of them can be found here,” said Fuziah who witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in conjunction with the pre-launch of the ASEAN Mall in Pattani earlier.

-- BERNAMA