The first Halal certification centre in the Mekong Delta province has been established in Can Tho city.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Hoang Ba Nghi, General Director of NHONHO Technology Co., Ltd., said many countries in the Middle East have great demand for Vietnamese products, especially vegetables and seafood.
Statistics show that, Vietnam’s export revenue to the region increased from 12 billion USD in 2016 to 14 billion USD last year, which has reflected the great potential of the market, he said.
One of the major barriers facing Vietnamese exporters is the Halal certification, Nghi said, adding that the Vietnam-Malaysia Halal certification centre will provide Halal certificates to businesses that want to export goods to Islamic countries.
Nor Helmy Mustapha, an expert from RSD Management Solution, said the Malaysian organisation aims to help Can Tho become a popular tourist destination for Muslims.
RSD will step up Malaysia’s Halal technological transfer to Can Tho in order to serve the centre’s operation, he said.
Pham Truong Yen, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho city, said the centre will create favourable conditions for goods of Can Tho and the Mekong Delta to access the Middle East market of over 1.8 billion people, contributing to improving agricultural value and local farmers’ income, and completing the target of sustainable agricultural development.
Following the signing ceremony, the centre granted the Halal certificate to three businesses in Can Tho and Dong Nai province.