Two Malaysian companies will team up to set up a halal products wholesale center in Syria, the first of its kind in the Middle East established by Malaysian entrepreneurs, the Bernama news agency reported Friday.

The wholesale center to be based in Damascus, called International Halal Center (IHC), will be jointly set up by Cosmoscape Sdn Bhd and Apex Communications soon, the national news agency quoted a report in Malaysia-based The Halal Journal as saying.

Shaifubahrim Mohd Salleh, chairman of Cosmoscape Sdn Bhd, said Damascus has been chosen as the launching pad because of its lower rental and lower cost of living.

"Aside from lower cost of everything, there are approximately 1. 3 million rich Iraqis currently residing in Syria, and they are sending tons of food and other daily sustenance back to Iraq," he told the journal.

At present, some 50 companies have expressed their interest to participate in the IHC, most of them are famous Malaysian food manufacturers, said Shaifubahrim.

He added a one-stop collection center will be established in Kuala Lumpur to collect the goods before the delivery to Damascus.

Cosmoscape has been involved in bringing together Malaysian companies for promotional activities in Middle East trade shows while Apex Communications is an engineering-based company with large scale project management experience, according to the report.

The report did not elaborate on the date when the halal center is expected to be officially launched in Syria.

Source: Xinhua