05/01/2012 (Business Times) - Trade between Malaysia and the Netherlands is expected to increase to e6 billion (RM24.54 billion) this year, despite concerns of global economic uncertainties and the euro debt crisis.

The Netherlands deputy ambassador to Malaysia Jan A. Soer said trade balance remains in Malaysia’s favour, with exports to the country expected to reach about e5 billion (RM20.45 billion) during the period.

“Malaysia is blessed with commodities like palm oil, petroleum and rubber, which are some of the main export items from Malaysia to the Netherlands.

“For instance, between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of Malaysia’s palm oil that was exported to Europe went through our port in Rotterdam. This was also included in the export figures from Malaysia,” he said at a briefing on the potential of Netherlands’ maritime industry here yesterday.

While noting that he has yet to obtain the official Malaysia-Netherlands trade figure for 2011, Soer indicated that Malaysia’s exports to the Netherlands in 2010 was valued at about e4.5 billion (RM18.41 billion), compared to almost e1 billion (RM4.09 billion) worth of Netherlands’ exports to Malaysia during the same period.

Official report from the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) indicated that total trade between the countries jumped from RM21.9 billion in 2009 to RM23.6 billion in 2010.

Malaysia’s exports to the country in 2010 was worth RM20.2 billion, as compared to RM3.4 billion worth of imports from the Netherlands to Malaysia during the period.

Malaysia’s main exports to the Netherlands include manufactured goods such as electronics and electrical products; chemicals and chemical products; agricultural goods like palm oil, saw log, sawn timber and crude rubber; and mining goods such as refined pertoleum products, tin and crude fertilised minerals.

Main imports from the Netherlands include chemical and chemical products; electronics and electrial products; machinery, appliances and parts; processed food, live animals and meat; vegetables, tools, tubers, crude fertiliser and minerals; and refined petroleum and other mining products.

According to Matrade, the Netherlands is the world’s seventh or EU’s second largest investor in Malaysia in 2010, with their investors investing some RM934.6 million for 13 projects during the year, against RM479.7 million for 21 projects in 2009.

At the briefing, the media was also given an update on the establishment of the Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology (NMIT) and the proposed setting up of Johan Cruff Institute (JCI) Malaysia in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor.

Aimed at producing a pool of professionals in the local maritime industry, the NMIT, which started operations in May last year, offers diploma courses in maritime transport management, port management, shipping management, and maritime health, safety, security and environment management.

As for the JCI Malaysia, a definitive agreement is expected to be signed in September this year to establish JCI’s pioneering institute of sports management in Asia.