KARACHI: National Assembly will fully support the passing of bill for marketing and promotion of halal food. Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza at the 1st Global Halal Congress organised by Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) in collaboration with Halal Development Council Saturday asked TDAP to prepare a draft in this regard on the basis of recommendations of the congress and consultation with other stakeholders in halal food sector in the country.
She said though Pakistan was the 6th largest producer of milk, 8th largest producer of meat and poultry products, it’s share in global Halal food market was very negligible. Mirza underlined the need to get a due share for Pakistan in the global halal market. She said the present government was focusing and encouraging the production of halal food in the country and export abroad.
Referring to the certification of Halal food in the country, she said lot of progress has been made in this regard and efforts were underway to accomplish this task.
She said the global halal food market was changing very fast and expanding every day whether in respect of production, quality, marketing or its taste.
Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr Mustufa Ceric said Muslims countries should focus on the quality, taste and presentation of halal food.
Our focus should be on how to make halal food attractive to the world besides Muslims. The most important thing was the production of organic food, which does not have any chemical or additive for preservation, he added.
Dr Ceric highly appreciated Pakistan, the government and its people for the support extended during the time of need when Bosnia was under ethnic attack.
Acting Governor Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development Humayun Kurd, CE TDAP, Tariq Puri also present on the occasion. app
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2010.
Dr Mustafa Ceric, the grand mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that Muslims are consuming more and producing less — a trend that needs to change tomake the future secure. He stressed that the halal industry can help Muslims all over the world in producing organic food which is equally popular among Muslims and others.
Nisar Ahmed Khoro, speaker of the Sindh Assembly and acting governor of Sindh, said that Pakistan needs to go a long way in matching other countries who have been working for halal certifications. Khoro praised the efforts of the public and private sectors in pursuing the concept of halal certification in Pakistan.
CEO TDAP Tariq Puri said that this is the first serious step in Pakistan towards halal certification. Halal certification adds value and allows the country to earn more from its present exports and since halal certification means quality. Pakistan should become the hub of halal goods and services because of its strategic position for the Arab world and Central Asian countries, he added.
Dr S Ali Khan, a director for Ethnic Focus, a UK-based research house said that if Pakistan wants to emerge as a leader in the trillion-dollar halal industry, then it will need technical knowledge, data insight, government commitment and public-private partnership among other requirements. He said that western multinationals want to reach Muslim consumers but need proper insight which Pakistan can provide to them.
“Pakistan needs to market itself as a committed player in halal certifications,” he added. He also informed that Muslim consumers are increasingly becoming brand aware which is why more and more large brands are localising themselves in different cultures.
Experts say that the halal industry is not limited to meat products only but it also includes cosmetics, pharmaceutical items and other services.
