Executive Chairman Datuk Ibrahim Ahmad Badawi, of Ibrahim Holdings Bhd, the parent company of Fahim Technologies, said Fahim worked together with the Ningxia provincial government to develop Ningxia as the first hub for its halal integrity management solution in China via a joint-venture company, Ningxia Fahim International Halal Industry Co Ltd.
With an eye on the small but growing halal food market in China, Malaysia-based Fahim Technologies has expanded its halal integrity solution services to the country’s autonomous Muslim-populated province of Ningxia.
The Halal food trade is heading for a 20 per cent share of world trade in food products in the near future. The market for about 1.4 billion Muslims already exists, so the demand for halal products is now on the rise across the globe.
Some 10 million Chinese Hui Muslims, or about 50 percent of all Muslims in China, have no major complaints about their ability to practice their religion in communities where they live side-by-side with the majority ethnic group, the Han.
MUI’s Food and Drug Analysis Agency (LPPOM) chief Lukmanul Hakim acknowledged the vast development of the Chinese halal industry, but said that the LPPOM, acting as Indonesia’s halal certification authority, did not see itself engaging in any Chinese cooperation any time soon.
Chinese Muslims have announced plans to develop halal industries to accommodate not just the needs of fellow Chinese Muslims in China but also Muslims in other countries.
Sozo is banking on tapping Malaysia’s halal food stature in the global arena to penetrate the booming global halal food segment. Sozo Global Ltd, of which Khazanah Nasional Bhd controls a 10.43 per cent stake via Agro Treasures Sdn Bhd, is investing RM15 million to set up a halal processing plant in Penang.
The large population of China and other Eastern countries as well as the growth in their markets make them a very attractive investment destination not only for the UAE investors but also for Americans and Europeans. As concerns rise over the Euro debt crisis and the global debt crisis mainly in developed countries, investors are becoming more risk averse
Exhibitors and government representatives at the five-day China-Arab Trade Forum were keen to offer a range of solutions for Arab governments and businesses sitting on heavy cash chests — not least the opportunity to invest in Ningxia, the western province with a 36 per cent Muslim population, as well as joint trade proposals in areas like halal food and development.
A Halal food company formed 12 years ago in Beijing to cater to the dining requirements of the city’s Muslim community is now Xiangjuzhai Foods Group, and is one of Beijing’s biggest Halal food suppliers. It has been approached by the Chinese government to play a role in its ambitious plans to build a dominant Halal foods export industry to cater to West Asian markets.
The Silk Road was once a dynamic set of trade links connecting Asia, Europe and parts of Africa. Now, the ancient routes may be given new life as Chinese Muslim businessmen follow their ancestors’ footsteps to export halal food to the world.
With 22 million Muslims, China has just one-eight of India’s Muslim population. But China has managed to play an effective role in the $500 billion export market for halal food by capitalizing on its influence as the world’s biggest buyer of petroleum products.
The China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum will also look at issues relating to expanding China’s Halal food industry, trading in the yuan and joint financing of major construction projects in the Middle East region including in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.
A UAE delegation will attend the China (Ningxia) International Trade and Investment Fair (CITIF) and the China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum running from September 21 to 25, 2011, at the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. UAE and China are exploring avenues to enhance the bilateral trade.
The four-day event in the provincial capital of Xining attracts more than 3,000 business people from 29 domestic provinces and autonomous regions and 28 foreign countries, according to the provincial governor Luo Huining.
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