3rd Int’l Halal Products Expo set for curtains-up

Picture shows the entrance of the International Halal Products
Expo at the Multipurpose Hall ready for today’s opening ceremony
at the International Convention Centre. – AMIN HOSNI

MIPR Minister Pehin Ahmad (left) talking to Haji Abdalhamid
Evans (right), MD, Senior Analyst, Imarat Consultants, while Dato
Paduka Haji Mohd Hamid Haji Mohd Jaafar (centre), the Permanent
Secretary at MIPR, looks on.

Deputy Minister of Health, Pehin Hazair (2nd right) watching
the last touches at ICC yesterday, on the eve of today’s official
launch by His Majesty. – PHOTOS BY ROSLI ABIDIN YAHYA

Workers of an exhibitor making its booth ready.

Staff busy packing souvenirs.

The 3rd International Halal Products Expo (IHPE) 2008 will go curtains-up this morning at the ICC in
Berakas, displaying a range of halal and syariah-compliant products and services from the sultanate and the
world from foodstuff to textiles and hair dyes.

Jointly organised by the Ministry of Industry and Primary resources, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry
of Health, the event is expected is expected to be visited by 200 quality trade buyers mostly from the Asian
region, representing the world’s largest halal food market worth an estimated US$150 billion and growing at
around 2.9 per cent annually.

In ensuring the smoothness of the preparation, the MIPR Minister Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato
Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Ahmad bin Haji Jumat and his deputy Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah bin Hj Abd
Wahab, as well as senior officers of MIPR, visited the venue yesterday morning.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Paduka Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah
and his senior officers were also present to oversee the preparation.

There will be 300 exhibition booths covering a huge floor space of 5,000 square metres at the ICC complete
with communications & technical facilities and support.

The event will be represented by about 300 corporations from 30
countries where there will be business-matching and networking
opportunities as well as concurrent events taking place such as
conference,
seminars and workshops in support of the expo.

More than 10,000 visitors daily are expected to visit the expo daily.

Local businesses see the expo as an excellent platform to introduce their products and services both locally
and internationally in view that the expo will be visited by quality and prospective local and foreign buyers.
With about 22 per cent of the world’s population being Muslims, the halal consumer market is huge and local
halal product entrepreneurs could try their luck for a slice of the share with proper planning and approach.