More Muslim countries to be invited to World Halal Forum

KasehDia expects more OIC participation

KUALA
LUMPUR: KasehDia Sdn Bhd is aiming to rope in more participants from
the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) for this year’s World
Halal Forum in order to enhance greater Muslim participation in the
US$693bil global halal industry.

KasehDia Sdn Bhd is the organiser of the World Halal Forum, which will be held here next month.

The
company’s founder and managing director Jumaatun Azmi said it was
important for OIC countries to participate more in the halal industry
as the sector was currently monopolised by non-Islamic countries.

“We
managed to get about 1,200 delegates for last year’s forum but most of
them were from non-Muslim countries. This year, we are targeting the
same number of delegates but would like to see more participants from
Islamic countries,” she said yesterday at the launch to promote World
Halal Forum 2009 and Malaysia Halal Week.

From
left: Mihas CEO Shukor Abdullah, Jumaatun Azmi, Halal Industry
Development Corp Sdn Bhd CEO and MD Datuk Seri Jamil Bidin and
International Halal Integrity Alliance Ltd CEO Darhim Hashim
officiating the launch of World Halal Forum 2009 and Malaysia Halal
Week.

The Halal industry is a very lucrative business, with the World Bank estimating its worth at US$693bil per year, she added.

“Growth of this industry based on the data by the World Bank is 25% per year and it is getting bigger and bigger.

“The
forum is a remarkable avenue for the delegates, from captains of
industry to research scholars to get the first hand knowledge on the
latest developments in this highly lucrative industry while discovering
invaluable networking possibilities and prospective areas of
opportunity,” Jumaatun said.

The fourth World Halal Forum, with
the theme “Achieving Global Halal Integrity”, will take place on May 4
and 5 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.