High demand for Malawi products in Japan, says Minister Bagus
Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Salim Bagus, says the Tokyo International Conference on Africa (TICAD7) currently underway in Yokohama, Japan, has revealed a great market potential for Malawi products in Japan and beyond.
Bagus said this on Wednesday in Yokohama after observing the influx of potential buyers at the exhibition booth that the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre, MITC, erected at the event venue displaying various products from Malawi.
The MITC booth was centre of attraction on Wednesday, the opening day of TICAD7, as more potential buyers thronged the booth making inquiries of the displayed products and expressing interest on importing them.
The minister challenged the business sector in Malawi to grab the market opportunity and produce more to satisfy the demand that the Malawi products had created at the TICAD7.
“There are a lot of Japanese who are looking for Malawi products and I’d like to encourage Malawian business people to produce a lot of quality products and to also participate in such exhibitions whenever they take place,” explained Bagus in an interview.
He added: “I’ve been impressed with how products such as Moringa, which we see as just one of those things, selling like hot cakes here in Japan, which is an assurance that there’s a very huge market for such products.”
The minister said Malawi honey, tea and the Mzuzu Coffee were other products which remained the centre of attraction at the MITC exhibition booth and that opportunity for Malawi to be exporting the products remained high.
Other than selling the Malawi products to the world, MITC is also canvassing for potential investors to come to Malawi to explore investment opportunities in various sectors.
Meanwhile, Malawi government is expected to hold meetings with potential Japanese investors at the Conference to lobby for funds for energy project which the minister said had gone through all the stages of MOU signing and feasibility.
The TICAD7 is attended by African heads of state or their representatives, African and Japanese government officials, UN organizations, international civil society organizations and African and Japanese investors.
Malawi Vice President, Everton Herbert Chimulirenji is representing President Prof. Peter Mutharika at the TICAD7 and while there, the Veep is scheduled to hold a meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, and a number of side meetings with various high level dignitaries.
The Japanese Prime Minister officially opened the three-day TICAD7 on Wednesday afternoon, local time, with an emphasis on the need to find solutions for African challenges through science, technology and innovation.
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a Salimu mmh koma this government is full of shit
Same old same old tired story!
Sometimes I worry what happens to the next generation. To be truthful, how can bagus be a minister? Honestry if people can know who this guy is, they will match on the street to remove him. He don’t have even any college certificate. I don’t hate him. Do your research.
what you dont know do not say you mother fucker
When it comes to tea you can’t compete with Kenya and coffee – no chance with Ethiopia. So this perezzi is lying. These people believe to survive as a minister, the formula is to tell lies.
The biggest problem in Malawi is u bwana Minister & ur govt coz u dont take the process of selling these products to the other countries. All other countries go out to fetch markets & tonnage needed & just pass the info to the farmers & companies the demand at hand then hand over the money to its citizen using the tax money & govt takes more taxes in the process.
Bagus and Chimulirenji representing us in Japan? Surely things have fallen apart with this useless president at state house.
Thats great. Which products are the Japanees interested in from Malawi? Please you just not politic on such issues. Please be specific for malawians. Mr President look at the time of ministers that are supposed to champion developmental programs. What do malawians gain from such report?
its not the products its adding value to the product thus shitty!
MZUZU coffee hot seller but farmers in abject poverty; equation not balancing somewhere! Its time Harson Kalua group stop putting their fingers in the affairs of farmers and let the Tea Association jump in
I think amanena izizi atadya chamba chambiri!
Oh yeah, he should have marketed our chamba chomwecho!