Malaysia: Soft launch of Halal Ingredients Asia 2015

imagesPETALING JAYA: The Halal Ingredients Asia 2015 (HIA 2015) event will be hosted by the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) on Sept 22 and 23 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The event, in collaboration with UBM Asia, gathers halal ingredient professionals and industry players to accelerate and enhance the development of the halal ingredients industry.

“Halal ingredients should be a focus area for research and development to cater to a growing demand for the production of halal end-products,” Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Hamim Samuri told reporters after announcing the upcoming event and the unveiling of the HIA 2015 logo.

For the first half of 2014, exports of halal products recorded from certified companies totalled RM18.8 billion, of which halal ingredients accounted for RM6 billion, he said.

Hamim said the halal ingredients sector is a new area of growth, which presents opportunities for small and medium enterprises in Malaysia to explore.

“We hope to see many more Malaysian companies involved in the halal ingredients industry because we do not have strong competition yet in this industry globally, as compared to the food industry,” he said.

“There is also a potential for manufacturers, distributors and retailers, as the demand for syariah-compliant products continue to grow,” he added.

Speaking at the soft launch of HIA 2015, Hamim said the two-day event will focus on three key components – a major conference, an exhibition and a business-to-business networking session.

The launch was also attended by UBM Asean managing director M. Gandhi, UBM Malaysia co-chairman Tan Sri Mohd Azumi Mohamed, HDC chief executive officer Datuk Seri Jamil Bidin and HDC director Shahanim Mohamad Yusoff.