MY VARTHAGAM : Malaysia's First Quarter Trade Performance To Improve

Malaysia's First Quarter Trade Performance To Improve

Malaysia's trade performance in the first quarter of this year is expected to improve judging from February's positive total trade, says Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Hamim Samuri.

Total trade in February rose 19 per cent to RM200 million against the corresponding quarter last year.

"China remains Malaysia's biggest trading partner followed by the United States and Asean member countries namely Singapore and Indonesia," he told reporters after opening an industrial gathering in the Ledang Parliamentary constituency and the QE/5S System Development Programme here Sunday.

Hamim, who is the Member of Parliament for Ledang, said electrical and electronic products, agricultural goods and palm oil were still Malaysia's largest exports.

He was confident Malaysia's international trade would continue to flourish in the coming months.

Earlier, Hamim said the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), an agency under his ministry, was responsible for implementing the QE/5S quality management initiative in selected ministries.

"The initiative has helped save RM250 million last year and some RM7 million of that savings was contributed by activities under the QE/5S System Development, a system aimed at increasing an organisation's performance," he added.

Hamim said last year, 2,739 organisations received the QE/5S Quality Environment Practice Certification from MPC with 70 per cent involving the public sector and the other 30 per cent, the private sector.

-- BERNAMA