News From : DagangHalal.com (23 Dec 2008)
The Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) has managed to attract a large number of investors and is now pitching itself as a gateway for the Global Halal Food Industry. Chia Kon Leong, General Manager of Business Development said, PKFZ have a strong potential to make a mark on the Global Halal Food Trade because of value added services and distribution park facilities. The PKFZ was to be managed jointly by Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA) and the Port Klang Authority following the signing of a 15-year agreement in October 2003. The PKFZ was modeled on the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, whose port ranks ninth in the world in terms of container traffic. Shippers can use the PKFZ as the gateway to repackage and export Halal food to Muslim countries. The PKFZ has entered into an agreement with Malaysia’s Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) to jointly develop a Halal Exclusive Zone (HEZ) in the PKFZ. The HEZ will be a dedicated Halal zone for commercial and industrial activities with facilities consisting of pre-built light industrial units, open land with completed infrastructure and office space at the commercial centre. European countries also see good potential for the PKFZ to be a gateway for the export of Halal food for distribution to Muslims in the region. The Dutch ambassador to Malaysia, Lody Embrechts, said recently that Netherlands was working on creating a Halal supply chain between Port Klang and the Port of Rotterdam. Chia said the PKFZ was also trying to attract investments in the field of trading, manufacturing and logistics covering the automotive, oil and gas and palm-oil related industries. He said talks were proceeding with more than 40 potential investors for investments worth more than $17 million. The PKFZ is also having talks with an unidentified foreign shipping line that is considering setting up a logistics hub at the PKFZ for warehousing, distribution, container storage and other activities. To facilitate this, a common user container freight station has been set up in the zone. Reference: Cargonews Asia 01 December 2008http://www.cargonewsasia.com/secured/article.aspx?id=17&article=17756