Singapore - Southeast Asian countries competing to promote their halal products in the international markets should join hands instead of trying to outdo each other, a halal conference was told today.
Malaysia`s Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) chief executive officer Datuk Jamil Bidin said they should be united so as to position themselves as a global player or else they will face an uphill battle to penetrate the world halal market if each goes its own way.
Speaking at the Halal Asia Business Seminar held in conjunction with the inaugural two-day Singapore International Halal Showcase here, he said some of the countries are trying to promote themselves as top international and regional halal hubs.
He said proponents of halal products in the region like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines should work smart to tap the vast halal markets in Europe, the Middle East, the United States and China.
Jamil said the European Union, with over 460 million people of whom about 20 million are Muslims, offers a tremendous market for halal products especially food as they are embracing a more international lifestyle.
He identified supermarkets and restaurants as the best conduits for the introduction and consumption of halal products in Europe with shelves being well-stocked with food and drinks manufactured in Asia bearing the halal logo.
He said well-known supermarket chains like Carrefour, Tesco, Sainsbury and Aidi are dedicating separate shelf space for private labels as their marketing strategy to offer consumers choice Asian products.
Jamil pointed out that the Middle East, having some of the wealthiest Islamic countries with over 35 million people, presents great opportunities for halal products and other related businesses such as the halal meat processing industry.
He said the Middle East countries import halal meat in excess of one million metric tonnes a year and the irony is that the exporters are non-Muslim countries such as Australia and Brazil.
As for the U.S., Jamil said the market for halal products there is huge as the current U.S. market is being dominated by kosher products with a ratio of one halal product to 85 kosher products.
He named China with over a billion people of which 30 million are Muslims is another good market for halal products.
Jamil also said halal products should be re-branded as too much emphasis is being placed on the pitch that halal products are religious products which can only be consumed by Muslims.
Rather, he said, halal products should be promoted as having high quality, safe and with clean features apart from being syariah compliant.
Source: www.bernama.com (25 Januari 2008)
