Malaysia: Venture into Halal

Kota Kinabalu: Entrepreneurs in Sabah have been urged to emulate the success of multinational companies in this country which have already ventured into the Halal-based business.

State Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun said among them is Nestle, which is presently the biggest food producer in the Halal sector with annual sales exceeding US$3billion in Islamic countries.

She said Nestle, together with Colgate, Palmolive, Ajinomoto, Unilever and many others are currently using Standard Halal Malaysia.

This clearly proves that Halal products now have not only earned a place in the international market but also in distribution outlets.

The halal logo also has been accepted by the international market to maintain its quality.

Azizah said this in a media conference after she officiated the four-day International Halal Showcase 2010, organised by ESM Exhibitor Relation in collaboration with Celcom Axiata Berhad, Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Rural and Regional Development Ministry and Industrial Development Department of Sabah, at 1Borneo, Thursday.

Altogether 150 exhibitors, including from Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand, are taking part in the showcase.

According to Azizah, the global Halal food product market value is expected to reach US$2.1 trillion per annum and focused in the Middle East, North America, Southeast Asia, China and Europe.

“This is something that the producers of Halal products should take advantage of to introduce and market their products to Islamic countries,” she said.

She said opportunity in the Halal market continues to expand from year to year, along with the increase in the world’s Muslim population.

Currently there are about 1.8 billion Muslims in the world and this is expected to increase at a rate of 2.9 per cent a year.

She said the halal industry is not limited to food products but also encompasses other products like financial, insurance, education and training, research, logistics, health and so on.