SINGAPORE: The Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STATOS) continues to play a pivotal role in strengthening the international presence of local products by coordinating the Sarawak Pavilion at Food & Hospitality Asia (FHA) 2026, held over four days at the Singapore Expo.

Its Chief Executive Officer Chew Chang Guan said this year's Sarawak Pavilion brings together 19 industry players, including five new exhibitors participating in the prestigious trade show for the first time.

“This participation reflects the growing interest among Sarawak entrepreneurs in penetrating the global market.

“We (STATOS) are also pleased to see the presence of new exhibitors with the potential to achieve good returns on investment,” he said when interviewed by the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS) here on Thursday.

According to him, STATOS acts as the primary coordinator in assisting Sarawakian businesses enter international markets, including by providing promotional platforms, business networking opportunities and logistics support throughout the exhibition.

Chew said platforms such as FHA provide participants with opportunities to engage with international buyers and build business networks.

However, he reminded that Singapore’s highly competitive market also demands strong sensitivity to pricing.

“Not every product is suitable for this market. Therefore, businesses need to better understand market segments so that the products offered are not only competitive, but also meet consumer demands,” he said.

In terms of concept, he explained that this year’s Sarawak Pavilion features a more open design that is conducive to interaction, while also taking into account exhibitors’ need for more comfortable business discussions.

He added that visual elements using Sarawak’s official colours of yellow, black and red play an important role in attracting visitors from afar, thereby increasing footfall to the exhibition space.

“Based on feedback from last year, exhibitors needed more room for discussions. So this year we introduced a more practical and business-friendly layout,” he said.

At the same time, Chew stressed that continuous participation in such exhibitions is important in building market confidence.

“Buyer confidence is not built through a single participation. Companies need to appear consistently, interact with customers and prove the credibility of their products,” he emphasised.

STATOS is optimistic that more Sarawak companies will join the pavilion in future, particularly by 2027, to further expand the reach of products from the Land of the Hornbills into global markets. -UKASnews

Translator: Sarah Nicole Hii