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Thursday, May 18, 2006
Agency unrolls program to tap $150 billion halal market
IT MAYBE a bit late, but the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is finally gunning at the $150 billion a year food market in the Muslim world.
The DTI was named last year to be the lead agency in promoting halal food manufacturing and export in the Philippines to get out of the chaotic way of certifying enterprises that are qualified to sell processed and fresh food to Muslim consumers worldwide.
This year, the Bureau of Export Trade Promotions (BETP) unrolled a development program that seeks to penetrate the rich market for halal products.
In outlining the program, BETP said it is ironic that in spite of having a fairly large Muslim population, the Philippines has been lagging far behind Thailand in the production and promotion of halal food products. Thailand has become the world leader in that niche despite its tiny Muslim population.
For the year 2006 to 2007, DTI is set to act on supply development, meeting international standards, advocacy, accessing markets, trade facilitation and promotion.
On top of the program is getting no less than six agencies of government tackling the different aspects of halal products development and promotion to work as a team, not on cross purposes.
In a meeting called by DTI in mid-February, the different agencies were urged to get their act together in pursuing the halal export program. The key step taken by DTI is the creation of an accreditation bureau under it which will become the one-stop shop for exporters that would need to comply with international standards and once, and for all, resolve the contentious issue of halal accreditation.
Still to be hurdled is the need for the Bureau of Food and Drugs and the Department of Science and Technology to build their capabilities at par with the technical capabilities of other exporting countries in meeting international halal standards. (Press release)
(May 18, 2006 issue)
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