DTI sets aggressive campaign to capture portion of halal market

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) believes the Philippines is now ready to capture a portion of the $632-billion world market for halal meat and is conducting aggressive marketing campaigns to put at least 10,000 products in circulation.

Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) division chief Leah Ocampo said the government needs to increase by 10 percent the country’s food exports to achieve the target of $4.8 billion in food exports by 2013, in accordance with the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) for 2011 to 2013.

Included in this plan is the Halal Development Plan. Ocampo said that under the development plan for halal meat, the government has certified 10,000 halal products produced by 500 local companies.

“Given the fact that we have this database (of products and companies), we can say that we are now ready to capture a part of the hahal market,” she said.

The halal market in Asia alone is worth $418 billion. At present, predominantly Muslim Malaysia and Brunei are the primary producers of halal meat. Prime halal meat is sourced from Brunei.

The Philippines recently participated in the 9th Malaysia International Halal Show (MIHAS), the United Arab Emirates’ Gulf Food Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire, and Singapore’s Food and Hotel Asia to promote the country’s halal products.

Middle East retail giants Al Meera and Lulu are now in talks with Philippine companies for the distribution of products in their stores.

Ocampo said the world market is composed of 1.83 billion Muslims worldwide who adhere to halal, an Islamic religious standard for the preparation and consumption of products.

This population has an average annual growth rate of 1.8 annually. 47.8 percent of this population is in the Middle East and Africa, 24.1 percent is in Asia Pacific, seven percent in Sub-saharan Africa and 1.06 percent in Europe.