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Pakistan’s first ever major Halal event, Global Halal Expo and Global
Halal Congress have been slated to be held in Karachi from 12th to 14th
February 2010 at the Karachi Expo Centre. Expected to be held back to
back in Karachi, Global Halal Congress is an international conference
for leading Halal industry players, Halal certification bodies and
other major stakeholders to discuss the latest trends and issues in the
Global Halal industry and to identify the opportunities available for
Halal suppliers. The Global Halal Expo will be an international Halal
exhibition showcasing Halal products and services from all over the
world.
Making a presence at the launching ceremony on 28 July 2009 was the CEO
of IHI Alliance, Darhim Hashim who delivered a speech on global Halal
standards development. Darhim in his speech highlighted that Pakistan
could overcome the trade deficit by exporting Halal products to over
1.6 billion Muslim population in the world. “Pakistan can play a key
role in the supply of halal food with the help of available raw
material including meat, milk, poultry and grains,” he added.
The event will mark the inauguration of Pakistan’s Halal initiatives in
the Islamic republic that has the second largest Muslim population
after Indonesia. IHI Alliance’s presence at the launching ceremony is
the latest development of its collaboration with MESSE Pakistan after
signing a Memorandum of Understanding in support of the event on July
2009. The MOU establishes a new collaborative effort between the two
organizations whereby IHI Alliance supports the initiatives by MESSE
Pakistan to promote and boost Halal industry development in Pakistan.
The cooperation focuses on several aspects such as IHI Alliance’s
assistance in promoting the Global Halal Expo and Global Halal
Congress, Halal industry workshops and training towards the development
of the Halal industry in Pakistan.
One day before the ceremony, Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce has
announced that the government will support the cost of certification by
fifty percent before the country’s Halal Certification Board is fully
set up. The initiative is part of Pakistan Trade Policy 2009-10
recently presented by the Minister of Commerce, H.E. Makhdoom Amin
Fahim.
The absence of Halal certification in the country is seen as an
obstacle for local Halal goods producers in penetrating a global market
worth USD2.1 trillion. IHI Alliance will play a major role in assisting
the set up of a complete Halal certification system in Pakistan and
provide training and workshops to ensure a proper compliance system is
in place.
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