KUALA LUMPUR; Six Malaysian companies have to date managed to export about RM460 million worth of halal products through Tesco UK.

This is under the five-year Tesco RM1 billion Malaysian Export Programme, which began two years ago with the aim of promoting Malaysian products to the UK market.

The programme is a collaboration involving Tesco, the Small And Medium Industries Development Corporation (Smidec), Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) and Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC).

"We hope to help more Malaysian companies to export halal products in years to come," said Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd's commercial director Jamie Walker at a press conference held in conjunction with the SME Supplier Conference here on Tuesday.

International Trade and Industry Ministry's director-general Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat opened the one-day conference which was organised by Smidec and Tesco.

"We want to work with the ministry and Smidec to be able to identify more suppliers," said Walker.

Abdul Rahman said five of the companies selected by Tesco UK for the export programme were small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

"While a sizeable number of capable SMEs are already suppliers to multinational companies like Tesco, we still feel it is not enough and would like to see more partnerships and linkages developing in future," he said.

"Indeed, we have a long way to go to reach that RM1 billion mark," he added.

According to Tesco, out of 2,000 suppliers, SMEs currently accounted about 60 percent or 800 suppliers at its 30 hypermarkets nationwide.

At present, the hypermarkets serve over a million customers each week and provide a range of over 60,000 products, of which 70 percent are "Made in Malaysia".

About 80 percent of Tesco's house brands are from SMEs producing export-quality products for local consumers.

BERNAMA