Khazan, one of the Gulf’s
leading producers of Halal meat food products, is to invest AED60
million in a new meat factory in the region as part of ambitious
ongoing expansion plans.
The
company made the announcement today from its exhibition stand at Halal
World Expo, the new international trade show taking place at the Abu
Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, and also confirmed that it is looking
to break into the US$16 billion Halal food market in the US.
“We’re planning to open our third meat factory in
one of the Gulf countries and will finalise our plans by the middle of
next year after completing our research to identify the best location,”
said Gerhard Vogt, Khazan’s Production Manager.
Providing
jobs for around 100 people, the new factory will be similar in size to
the company’s 77,500 sq ft second manufacturing facility which opened
in Sharjah in February and has doubled its production capacity.
The
Kuwaiti-owned company will equip the new facility with the latest
state-of-art meat processing equipment as it proceeds with expansion
plans designed to make it the region’s biggest Halal food producer.
“We have a dynamic, young management and we have definite plans for further expansion in the region,” said Vogt.
The
new Sharjah factory has quickly taken the lead from the original
facility in Kuwait to grow Khazan’s exports, servicing all of the Gulf
countries and also opening a new market in Syria.
As
Halal World Expo entered its second day, Khazan, which makes around 100
processed chilled and frozen Halal meat products, confirmed that it is
using the new trade show to seek out a US distributor. “We’re looking
to increase our exports, particularly with the opening of the new
factories, and we have been examining the US market,” said Vogt. “We’re
ready to begin exporting there, and we’re definitely able to supply
Halal products which meet US regulatory requirements.”
“They
key will be to work with a good distributor, and we’re hoping that our
contacts at Halal World Expo this week will help us find the right one.”
Halal
World Expo features Halal lifestyle products, including Islamic
fashion, cosmetics and other healthcare products, as the demand for
Halal compliant products continues to grow in the UAE. The exhibition
also give focus to Islamic Finance, which is currently worth between
US$200 and $500 billion annually and continues to be a consistently
growing interest for financial markets across the world.
The
Global Halal and Islamic Business Forum runs alongside the Halal World
Expo in Abu Dhabi. The exhibition is an annual landmark event opening
the gateway for the Middle East market to the international Halal
industry.