Malaysian Tuna Port Execs On Mission To Spain For Coopff

Malaysian International Tuna Port Sdn Bhd (MITP) will send senior executives to Spain and Portugal next week in a bid to expedite the resumption of Malaysia’s seafood exports to the European Union (EU).

Chief executive director Datuk Annuar Zaini Binyamin, who will lead the team, said the mission would leverage on the ties and reputation that MITP had established with industry players in Europe.

The company has lined up meetings with several large organisations in the European seafood business to determine how the Malaysian exporters can start selling again to the EU as soon as possible.

The discussions will also look at what can be done to avoid a repeat of the current trading halt. “Our role is to complement the Government’s efforts by relying on our personal relationships with industry players in EU,” Annuar Zaini told a press conference on Tuesday.

On June 18, Malaysia stopped exporting seafood products to the EU. This is to sidestep a total ban that the EU had threatened to impose following random checks in April on nine exporters. Six were found lacking in health standards and practices set by the EU.

It would take at least three months for Malaysia to resume exporting seafood to the EU.

Meanwhile, the exporters stand to lose millions of ringgit in lost sales. This may worsen if the situation continues until the year-end holidays, which is traditionally a period of strong demand for seafood.

Annuar Zaini said the ban affected all Malaysian seafood producers who exported to Europe, and not just MITP.

However, he added, the company was taking the proactive step of talking to industry players in the EU because of its good standing in certain European markets and because of its status as a Government-linked company.

“We feel that something must be done to help the country towards finding a solution,” he said.

The Government has a 40% stake in MITP through the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia.

MITP has a 32-year concession to manage, operate and develop the Batu Maung Fisheries Complex in Penang. The company’s chief goal is to make Malaysia a primary tuna landing and export hub in Asia.

The information gathered on the MITP mission will be relayed to the relevant authorities in Malaysia to help them ensure that the exporters will meet the EU standards.

Annuar Zaini said if all went well, the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry would be represented in the mission “at a high level.”

MITP has chosen Spain and Portugal because the former is the largest seafood producer in EU and third largest in the world, while Portugal, as Spain’s neighbor, is also a major presence in the industry.