KUALA LUMPUR ¨C A small factory in Malaysia¡¯s capital is preparing thousands of ready-to-eat halal meals, from fried rice to chicken biryani, to be shipped off to Japan for 2020¡¯s biggest sporting event.

Food firms from Muslim-majority Malaysia are expected to be big winners from a rush of Muslim travelers to Japan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, from late July to September.

¡°It¡¯s a huge platform and opportunity for us,¡± said Ahmad Husaini Hassan, boss of the MyChef company making the meals in Kuala Lumpur.

¡°Our intention is not to go in and out. We¡¯ve to go in and stay for the long term.¡±

Malaysia wants to use the games as a springboard to boost halal exports, which include food and cosmetics, by about a fifth to $12 billion (?1.3 trillion) this year. It exported halal goods worth $604 million to Japan in 2018, 90 percent of it food and food ingredients.

Malaysia is the only country to have reached a halal cooperation deal with Tokyo for the games.

MyChef aims to triple its revenue to 4.5 million ringgit (?119 million; $1 million) this year. It is in talks with Japanese retailer Aeon Co. to jointly develop a line of ready-to-eat halal meals and snacks, Ahmad Husaini said.

Malaysia¡¯s halal trade has lagged behind non-Muslim nations such as the United States, China and Brazil. The value of the global halal market is projected to reach $2.6 trillion by 2023, nearly double 2017 levels, according to Dublin-based data firm Research and Markets.

Malaysia¡¯s government has set an ambitious target of selling as much as $300 million worth of halal food and products to Muslims and non-Muslims around the games.

It has secured space on the sidelines to host a ¡°Malaysia Street 2020¡± promotion, which will offer opportunities to sell food and for firms to meet Japanese buyers and distributors.

¡°We have a lot to learn from Malaysian authorities, and in return Malaysian companies have more chances to expand their business,¡± said Hideto Nakajima, economic counsellor at the Japanese Embassy in Malaysia.

The number of tourists to Japan from Southeast Asia, the region with the world¡¯s biggest Muslim population, has jumped in recent years thanks to relaxed visa rules.

As Japan looks to draw a record 40 million tourists this year, Malaysia estimates 8 million of them will be Muslim.

For HQC Commerce, among four firms chosen to lead Malaysia¡¯s halal push in Japan, the Olympics is a ¡°stepping stone¡± for bigger things.

¡°We know that during the Olympics the demand will be highest, so this is the time for us to promote Malaysian products,¡± said CEO Khairul Shahril Hamzah.