BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct 26 (NNN-BRUDIRECT) — Mulaut Abattoir is
considering obtaining a licence to use the Brunei Halal brand to help
ease its entry in lucrative Islamic markets for beef products, said the
company’s acting deputy general manager.
“Mulaut Abattoir has been trying to export Mulaut Haoyue beef to
Islamic countries under the Brunei Halal brand,” Pg Imran Pg Hj Sabli
told The Brunei Times.
“We are confident that the Brunei Halal brand is a strong brand, and
given time and publicity, the halal brand will penetrate the global
halal market,” he said of the recently launched seal, which the
Sultanate deems will make a splash in Islamic markets chiefly due to
its reputation for strict adherence to principles governing food
preparation under Islamic teachings.
It would be noted though that Ghanim International Food Corp Sdn Bhd,
the company set up to manage the marketing and use of the brand, has
yet to consider Bruneian companies in the initial batches that will
carry the seal.
While waiting to get in the shortlist of food producers being studied
as official users of Brunei’s premium halal brand, Mulaut Abattoir has
also been in talks with potential distributors of its goods in overseas
markets.
“We have been in contact with a foreign company as (a possible)
distributor in the Middle East. Nothing has materialised so far but we
will continue to seek for (opportunities in the) export markets,” he
said.
The Brunei market is small and since Mulaut Abattoir needs to expand
its operations, it has to look for new export opportunities, he said.
Mulaut Abattoir has been exporting corned beef to Malaysia’s Sabah
state since 2006. The export quantity is small but “we are confident
that we can increase the volume of export to Sabah once we get the
supply of cheap raw materials”, said Pg Imran.
Neighbouring Sabah remains a good market because of its population of
2.73 million and the cost of transportation is minimal, he said, adding
consumers them like Brunei-made corned beef.
For raw materials, Mulaut Abattoir has imported Haoyue beef from China.
Import volumes have increased from 176.9 metric tonnes (May-December
2008) to 253.3 metric tonnes (January-October 2009).
The supplier comes from Jilin Province Changchun Hao Yue Islamic Meat,
which has a halal certification from Malaysia Islamic Development
Department. The supplier also exports frozen and chilled beef to 21
countries including Malaysia, Jordan and Egypt.
“The beef comes in good quality from its livestock breeds, for example
‘Simmental’ and the actual place of the abattoir is free from foot and
mouth diseases,” Pg Imran said.
The meat produced in Brunei is estimated to be around 30.45 metric tonnes which is 0.8 per cent of total supply.
Brunei’s total meat consumption is 317.11 metric tonnes per month, said
Pg Imran, citing statistics from the Agriculture Department. This
translates to 3,805.32 every year. “Out of this, 1,510.59 metric tonnes
is beef and 2,994.73 is buffalo meat,” he said.
On average, Mulaut Abattoir imports 28.6 metric tonne per month of
frozen and chilled Haoyue beef, he said. “The selling price ranges from
$5.80 per kilo to $9.80, while the best parts such as tenderloin are
sold at $18.00 per kilo.”
Mulaut also imports from Australia. — NNN-BRUDIRECT/The Brunei Times
