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Get halal certs, Aussie beef producers urged

PERTH: Malaysia is encouraging Australian beef producers to get halal certification from the Depart­ment of Islamic Development Ma­­laysia (Jakim) to boost meat supplies in the country, said Veterinary Ser­vices Department director-general Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin.

The move, he said, was not solely for the purpose of addressing the shortage of meat in Malaysia but aimed at penetrating the halal food market in Australia.

“Our hope is to import halal beef from Australia to be processed into beef patties, frankfurters and satay for sale in their country. This could earn Malaysia RM200mil annually,” he said after visiting the Harvey Beef abattoir in Harvey, about 140km south of here, yesterday.

Dr Abd Aziz said this was not possible now as Australia did not allow the entry of processed meat products from Malay­sia as it was not free from the foot and mouth disease.

“We’re negotiating with them to let us export these products using meat from their country instead.”

At present, only nine beef abattoirs in Australia have been given halal certification by Jakim.

Earlier during the visit, Harvey Beef sales executive manager Justin Croser said they were keen to apply for halal certification from Malaysia.

Harvey Beef is a major supplier of halal beef to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Singa­pore and to Muslim communities in the Philippines, Japan, China, Mauri­tius and Africa.

source : http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/1/nation/2686248&sec=nation

Asia to provide more Islamic banking opportunities

Asia will be the next big growth area for the booming Islamic banking industry, a senior executive from Kuwait Finance House (KFH) has told Emirates Business.

The sector will find many opportunities in Asia because of the growing popularity of its structures and the region’s nascent markets, said KFH Managing Director Baljeet Kaur Grewal.

Turnover in Indonesia, for one, is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 52 per cent from 2008 to 2010 to reach IDR11 trillion (Dh3.16 billion), underpinned by a large Muslim population, low penetration of Shariah banking and improvements to the regulatory framework.

Grewal said last year the country’s Shariah banking assets soared by 30 per cent to IDR30trn, or 1.7 per cent of the country’s total banking assets, reflecting huge growth potential. The central bank has set a target for Islamic banking assets to reach IDR91.6trn, or 5.25 per cent of total banking assets, by the end of this year.

The outlook for Islamic banking in Thailand is also rosy thanks to the country’s programme to develop the Southern Provinces as a hub for halal food.

“This creates opportunities for Islamic banks and financing via Mudarabah and Musharakah,” Grewal said. “Thailand’s halal food exports are estimated at THB70bn [Dh7.24bn] per year – 10 per cent of total imports by Muslim countries.

“The government’s $38.5bn [Dh141.41bn] five-year infrastructure budget is expected to boost construction-related sectors, hence the potential for infrastructure and real estate financing.”

Home financing is another area that could be tapped as it offers opportunities for the Takaful segment. In 2007 the number of housing loans granted by commercial banks grew by 9.7 per cent year-on-year. Last year only 17 per cent of Thailand’s population owned a life insurance policy compared to 80 per cent in Japan and 70 per cent in Hong Kong.

Grewal said there are also opportunities in China. Total banking assets there grew 25.8 per cent to $7.3trn in 2007, with total deposits increasing by 15.2 per cent to $55bn. Opportunities for Islamic banking include the debit card industry and rural banking services.

Between 2004 and 2006 housing loans granted grew at a CAGR of 19.86 per cent. The country’s large population and favourable demographics offer potential for Islamic home financing.

“China has the world’s fifth largest number of households with more than $1m in liquid assets,” said Grewal. “The number of wealthy families with financial assets worth between $100,000 and $1m are expected to increase from 3,250,000 in 2007 to 6,400,000 by 2011, forming a market for Islamic wealth management.”

Islamic banks are increasingly becoming the banks of choice because they have not been affected by the subprime crisis. Islamic transactions are asset-backed and in structures such as Ijarah, Musyarakah and others the assets are ring-fenced by the securitised structure.

Ratings of sukuk take into account the assets in a structure and as such provide a true reflection of risk, and in addition ratings of the issuers are given. Islamic banks will lend only to the extent of their deposit base and do not borrow from the credit market through structured notes or collateralised loan obligations as these instruments are not Shariah-compliant. This has shielded the Islamic industry from the sub-prime fallout.

source:http://www.business24-7.ae/articles/2008/11/pages/11302008_ac0ee9ac43074641bd92a737395de0af.aspx

Muslim food industry in China vows to ensure food safety

XINING, Oct.11 (Xinhua) — Muslim food business leaders in China are pledging product safety and vowing to follow their religious teachings in food production.

200 Muslim food business leaders made that declaration while attending an ongoing international trade fair in the northwest Chinese city of Xining.

This is the latest move by the country’s food industry to self-regulate after a series of safety scandals.

“The recent Sanlu baby milk powder safety incident severely endangered consumer’s health and damaged the international image of Chinese food businesses,” Wang Zhanhe, general manager of the restaurant chain, Little Sheep Group Ltd., said while reading out the Chinese Muslim Food Industry Declaration on Quality and Credibility on behalf of manufacturers at the fair.

“We will strictly abide by the laws and regulations of China and other countries in the world, implement the halal standard, and create a safe and reliable halal food market,” the declaration said.

“The declaration reiterated the social morality that an enterprise must have,” said Chawalit Na Muangtoun, representative of Thailand’s Chia Tai Group and president of the company’s subsidiary in north China’s Hebei Province.

“At Chia Tai Group, we believe in the concept of using morality to direct production and sales,” he said.

Chawalit said food enterprises should lose money rather than make it immorally.

Members of foreign business delegations voiced appreciation for the food safety declaration.

“We hope these goals can be done by all the halal companies and all the dairy companies in China,” said Kamarul Arifin Ab. Gani, agriculture counselor of Malaysia Embassy. “Every company should follow the declaration.”

Shahzad Hussain Rana, commercial counselor of the Pakistan Consulate General, said products made in China can be found almostevery where in his country.

“Mistakes might happen, but I think China is a very responsible country and the control of quality is good for protecting the people,” Rana said.

The China (Qinghai) International Halal Food and Product Fair is one the most important halal fairs in the world. More than 400 international business people, experts and officials from 26 countries and regions attended the fair this year.

source : http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/11/content_10179677.htm

China eager to attend Pakistan’s International Halal Food moot

YINCHUAN (Ningxia), Sept 10 (APP): China is ready to take part in the next month 2008 International Conference on Halal Food and Agriculture products, provided receiving invitation from the host country, said a senior government official.

Talking on the side lines of the Ningxia (China) International Muslim Halal Food Festival and Ningxia Investment and Trade Fair that kicked off here on Wednesday, the Director Press, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of  Ningxia Liu Guo Qing told APP that it will be a good opportunity for China to showcase their kitchen items in Pakistan.

The International Conference on Halal Food and Agriculture 2008, as per report will be held in conjunction with 3^rd Food, Agri & Livestock Asia 2008 International Exhibition on October 19 & 20 at Karachi Expo Centre.

A  local trader Sam Yu told media persons at the exhibition, that Pakistan is a big market for Halal Food.

He said that he imports five containers of fish, shrimp and other sea food items from Pakistan, while exports  ten containers of Halal Food to Karachi, every month.

He said that there is also big scope of Chinese Halal Food in other big cities like Lahore and Islamabad but being the port city, he is concentrating his business only to Karachi.

He said that besides, Pakistan, he also exports his products to Qatar, Dubai, Jordan , Saudi Arabia and many other countries around the world.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Wang Zhengwei this morning inaugurated the Halal Food and Muslim Commodities exhibition.

The ceremony was largely attended by ambassadors, diplomats, delegates from foreign countries and traders.

In his address, he said that holding of the exhibition is part of the 50^th Anniversary of the founding of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

He said that Ningxia has a population of 6.1 million out of which 2.3 million or 36 percent are Hui (Muslim)

Wang said that Ningxia, with more opening attitude, welcomes warmly the friends all over the world to invest, to do business and to push forward the development of Ningxia.

source : http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=52216&Itemid=1

Mindanao eyes multi-billion halal industry

Muslims in Mindanao are aghast that non-Muslim countries are cornering the multi-billion world market for halal food products.

“The Philippines failed to cope with the demand of halal products in the world market”, said Ustadz Esmael Ebrahim, spokesman of the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board Inc. (MMHCBI).

It’s a pity because Ebrahim is convinced that rich Muslim countries that largely depend on food imports would be happier if they get their supply from their fellow Muslims in Mindanao rather than non-Muslim countries.

“Thailand made it to becoming world’s number one exporter of halal products. It’s not even a Muslim country,” he said. Other non-Muslim countries that export halal food are Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

An Arabic term for “permissible,” halal refers to anything that is permissible under Islam. The religion forbids substances such as pork, blood, alcohol, and their by-products. Mostly healthy, halal foods have a big market among health buffs, too.

Recent dialogues of the MMHCBI with the Chamber of Agriculture, Fisheries and Allied Industries (CAFFINORMIN) and the Mindanao Development Council (Medco) resulted in two courses of action so that Mindanao can get a share of the multi-billion industry.

One, the CAFFINORMIN agreed to strengthen its poultry industry and expand production. It is set to ink a memorandum of agreement in October. (Poultry products are considered halal.)

Two, the MEDco will assist in organizing a workshop on the halal industry. “We urge the  MEDCo to realize the workshop soon as this will give us (investors) the idea as to how much are we going to invest, and for us to take a closer look at the world’s halal players”,  said Roger Navarro of CAFFINORMIN.

Exporting halal products is not as easy as regular goods, however. Islam imposes guidelines in slaughtering meat, for example.

“Right now, we really don’t have a production site for halal meat products”, Navarro said. This has been the major obstacle to local producers of halal food. Without an agency to certify that they followed the requirement of Islam, their products may not be accepted in the world market.

This problem is temporarily addressed by MMHCBI’s pact with Malaysia’s International Halal Integrity Alliance—which can certify local products in Mindanao.  The real solution is to come up with a halal certification system in the Philippines, Navarro said.

source : http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/10/08/mindanao-eyes-multi-billion-halal-industry

Singapore delegates see potential in business ventures with local counterparts

The recently-concluded trip to the Sultanate by a trade delegation from Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DPPMS) has been considered a huge success by the participating traders from the island.

The delegation expressed their gratitude to relevant agencies and business associations in Brunei such as the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Economic Development Board, Brunei Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and ITM Cooperative Limited.

Some of the 23 traders even stayed a few more days in Brunei as they could not complete their business talks within the stipulated time.

Many more will be returning here to follow-up their ventures after finding out that some of the business proposals made by their Brunei counterparts are viable and can be developed.

The head of mission, Encik Yatiman Yusof, hoped DPPMS and their Brunei counterparts will pursue their preliminary business talks.

Encik Yatiman, who is also the Singapore High Commissioner to Kenya, said the four-day trip to Brunei was fruitful.

He personally felt the business trip to Brunei was more beneficial to the Singapore Malay traders than those that were organised to various other countries in the past.

The president of DPPMS, Dato’ Mohd Zain Abdullah, said he received positive response from the participating traders.

During their four-day stay in Brunei, the Singapore traders visited the International Halal Products Expo (IPHE) 2008 which was participated by traders from 10 nations.

They also met with the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources and his deputy as well as participated in the International Halal Market Conference in conjunction with the IHPE 2008.

The delegation also heard trade and investment briefings from Brunei Economic Development Board, Department of Agriculture and Brunei Tourism Development Department.

source : http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/mon/sep8h24.htm

Market of halal products

A FOUR-DAY fair of Malaysian halal products was held recently in a city hotel for boosting business of halal products and strengthening the trade connections with Bangladesh. Malaysian Ministry of Entrepreneur Cooperative Development and EPIC TIPS, a company of Kuala Lumpur in collaboration with the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka organised the fair. Some 30 small and medium enterprises and over 80 business communities from Malaysia participated in the fair with the main objective of expanding the platform of halal products for the business communities of the two brotherly Muslim countries. Proactive steps are to be taken in seizing this opportunity by widely introducing halal products with a view to meeting the growing global demand.

It is to be mentioned here that Malaysia as a Muslim country has already become the world’s ‘halal-hub’ and its various food products have become popular brand in many countries including Bangladesh because of quality and standard and, of course, with the confidence of its products being made as halal products. Malaysia will act as a catalyst, as Bangladeshi entrepreneurs can also do healthy networking with their Malaysian counterparts to further develop their own local halal market. Malaysia is well aware of the global halal market potential and Bangladesh’s highly untapped market where a big majority of consumers are Muslims.

The global trade in halal food - if products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other services are added in - the combined market value is believed well in excess of one trillion US dollars though the estimated market value of the halal food trade is now at US$ 580 billion. ‘The World Halal Forum’, held in Kuala Lumpur in the recent past, drew the prospect of the halal food industry saying it was expanding along with the Islamic faith, the world’s fastest-growing religion.

source : http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/09/02/news0443.htm

Agriculture woos Kuwait, Brunei to invest in halal sector

The Agriculture Department has stepped up efforts to find new markets abroad for the budding halal industry, with initial talks held with Kuwait and Brunei on possible investment opportunities.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said separate discussions with the ambassador of Brunei and Kuwaiti officials brought new investment opportunities in the fledgling industry.

The government is offering two big-ticket investment proposals worth P3.04 billion in Mindanao to develop the industry and unlock its export potentials in the $500-billion world market,

Visayas and Mindanao have been declared free from foot-and-mouth disease but the World Animal Health Organization has not yet cleared Luzon.

Assistant Secretary Clayton Olalia said the halal food industry portfolio would include the economic zone in Davao City and a model poultry farm in Cagayan de Oro City.

Olalia said the proposed P2.2 billion Halal Economic Zone in Davao City would be the centerpiece of the investment portfolio being offered to overseas investors in the Middle East, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the United States.

The zone is expected to generate 24,000 new jobs for Muslim Filipinos and boost Philippines’ export earnings by at least $200 million yearly.

The other investment proposal package is an P840-million halal model poultry farm complete with research laboratories, abattoirs and other modern facilities.

Around 32,000 Muslim farmers and entrepreneurs in Mindanao are expected to benefit from the proposed initiative.

source : http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business5_aug28_2008

Halal board to boost export market, int’l standards for RP-processed foods

Cagayan de Oro City (27 August) — Aware of the huge market potential of halal products here and abroad, the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certifying Board, Inc. (MMHCBI) will meet here on Thursday (August 28) with the Northern Mindanao Poultry Growers’ Association on compliance with the Philippine Halal Standards in food and non-products preparation.

Ustadz Esmael Ebrahim, spokesperson for the MMHCBI, said the meeting will be held at the Pearlmont Hotel, Limketkai Drive this city.

The MMHCBI, the Philippines’ halal certifying body based in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, will conduct a briefing on the religious and technical aspects of producing halal foods with representatives of prominent industry trademarks in attendance. Expected to attend the food certifying meet are members of the Mindanao Poultry Growers’ Association, particularly, San Miguel sister company Magnolia, Swift, Bounty-Agro Ventures, Inc. Fresh and Vista de Rio Farms.

Food companies have sought to enrich their technologies’ research and development for a market expansion that has to have strict compliance with the Philippine Halal Products Standards. By doing so, they are aiming for a fair share in the global halal market, now worth $ 150 billion in international food trade statistics.

Poultry production is fast becoming an investment opportunity in ARMM the BIMP EAGA and other parts of the country. Muslim countries, such as those of the Middle East have high demands for Halal products, meaning those that are processed in accordance with Islamic laws and tradition.

Being certified halal products by the MMHCB (for both food non food products like cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc.) will mean such products are good for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, because ‘halal certification’ means international health standards are complied with. These standards are: HACCP (hazard analysis critical control for products); GMP (good manufacturing practices (both prerequisite BFAD certification) and ISO (International Standardization Organization)

The MMHCBI, which crafted the Philippine Halal Products Standards, is composed of five muftis (Guardians of House of Opinion) of the ARMM provinces and food technologists, chemists, nutritionists and scientists of widely-recognized erudition in their fields of expertise on both the Islamic Sharia law and food science.

Local Governance Support Program in the ARMM (LGSPA) has aided the MMHCBI in numerous areas of capacity-building and institutional linkages, resulting among others to the crafting of the Philippine Halal Standards and its acceptance by Muslim religious authorities and food experts here and abroad. LGSPA is the capacity-building program of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

The MMHCB has also had the recognition of its equally reputable counterparts in Malaysia and Thailand with which it had entered into memorandums of understanding and agreements for a continuing working cooperation.

Ebrahim said the August 28 meeting, convened here by the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), will also be attended by officials and representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry in the ARMM, the Department of Agriculture and Food in ARMM; the ARMM Regional Board of Investment, and national officials of the Department of Agriculture, the National Coordinator for Philippine Halal Industry Development and MEDCo officials.

In efforts at gaining for the country a share from the huge global market for halal, the meeting has been organized by the Department of Agriculture in Region 10, through DA Region 12 Assist. Director Ismael Mustapfa, the government’s national coordinator for its Halal Industry Development Program.

source : http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p080827.htm&no=61

HDC To Propose The Enactment Of A Halal Act To The Government

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (Bernama) — The Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC), will propose the enactment of a Halal Act to the government.

Its managing director/chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Jamil Bidin said the corporation was currently in the process of drafting the Act which would help monitor and prevent misuse of the halal certification in the country.

“In Malaysia, we don’t have a specific Act for enforcement with regards to the misuse of the halal certification,particularly among restaurant owners,” he told reporters here Wednesday.

“We hope with the establishment of the Act, the whole cycle of halal integrity would be protected,” he said.

He said the process of drafting the Act is expected to be completed by next year.

Currently, a total of 26 hotels and 500 restaurants nationwide have been granted the halal certification.

The HDC was established in 2006 as a private company fully owned by the Ministry of Finance.It was recently given the responsibility of issuing the Malaysian Halal Certificate, taking over the function from the Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim).

The HDC has been tasked by the government to capitalise on the multi-trillion dollar global halal industry. It has also been handed the mandate to facilitate the growth of the halal economy in Malaysia while making the country the premier referral centre and hub.

This is to be done by providing comprehensive halal certification, research and development as well as infrastructure growth support.

Jamil said the HDC had created a range of halal training programmes to increase understanding and develop human capital within the industry.

He said the training programmes catered to the general public and for both Muslims and non-Muslims.

source : http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=355621