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Halal Forum Tackles Industry Commercial
Aspects
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"Experience has shown that
theological debate as to what halal is and what isn't can delay the
growth of the market considerably," said
Khairy.
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KUALA LUMPUR, May 9, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News
Agencies) Going beyond the usual academic and religious discussions,
participants in the World Halal Forum, currently hosted by Kula Lumpur,
are looking at the sector in commercial terms, discussing how to regulate
and promote the booming industry.
"We believe this event could potentially help develop the
industry and chart its direction in the near future," said Jumaatun Azmi,
managing director of KasehDia, the organizer, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
Abdal Hamid Evans, a KasehDia official, said industry players
"want to know about market access, how to increase their sales and
networking."
He asserted that there are a lot of issues emerging as halal
goes global.
"The farm-to-fork nature of halal requires a forum where all
of the different elements can get together, where issues can be
resolved."
Nestle Malaysia, Britain's biggest retailer Tesco and fast
food giant McDonald's are joining experts and regulatory bodies
participating in the forum, which closes on Wednesday, May 10.
The event features interactive sessions that will cover a
variety of relevant topics, with industry leaders presenting papers
covering the business and trade issues that concern the halal
industry.
Booming
Khairy Jamaluddin, a leading figure in the ruling National
Front coalition, agreed that discussions should move to the commercial
aspects of the industry.
"Experience has shown that theological debate as to what
halal is and what isn't can delay the growth of the market considerably,"
he told the opening session on Monday, May 8.
He expects the global halal industry to hit the impressive
mark of one trillion dollars.
"Our own estimates put the global market value of the halal
food trade at $580 billion annually. If products such as pharmaceuticals,
cosmetics and other services are added in, the combined market value is
believed well in excess of one trillion dollars."
The concept of halal, -- meaning permissible in Arabic -- has
traditionally been applied to food.
Muslims should only
eat meat from
livestock slaughtered by a sharp knife from their necks, and the name of
Allah, the Arabic word for God, must be mentioned.
Now other goods and services can also be certified as halal,
including cosmetics, clothing, pharmaceuticals and financial
services.
MIHAS 2006
The third Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS 2006)
will open Wednesday under the theme "Networking, Consolidating and
Energizing the Global Halal Market."
"We hope to arrange 2,000 business matching sessions during
the event, of which 80 percent will be in business such as food,
pharmaceuticals and cosmetics and the other 20 percent in general
trading," MIHAS chief executive director Mohd Shukri Abdullahhe told a
press conference Tuesday.
He said this year's event will see 358 exhibitors, of which
259 are local and 99 foreign, including those from Bosnia, Brunei, China,
Egypt, France, the Netherlands, Turkey, Iran, the United Kingdom and the
United States.
The five-day event is expected to see the signing of at least
16 agreements each day, according to Malaysia's news agency
Bernama.
MIHAS 2005 reaped RM217.1 million in immediate sales and
RM12.8 million in sales under negotiation, involving 93 international
buyers and 753 trade meetings.
Malaysia, a mainly Muslim country seeking to become a "halal
hub", has said it would create a new Halal Industry Development
Corporation to promote its ambitions and help expand the
industry.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the center will
develop halal standards and certification and procedures, and improve the
skills and abilities of halal producers.
Halal food production zones are already operating or being
built in six Malaysian states, and a sprawling halal distribution hub has
been built at a duty-free shipment zone in southern Johor state, on the
busy Malacca strait.
In 2004, Malaysia launched a bi-monthly magazine,
The Halal
Journal, as the
first trade and business publication serving the global halal
marketplace. |
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