Mindanao groomed as halal goods center

THE Department of Trade and Industry is positioning Mindanao as a major producer of halal goods for the region.

In a statement, Trade Undersecretary Prudencio M. Reyes Jr. said the Philippines’ participation in the recently concluded 8th World Halal Conference 2015 (WHC) and 11th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), allowed the agency to make a push for the country’s halal products.

‘‘This is a great opportunity for the Philippines to enter the billion-dollar halal industry. Mindanao could be a producer of tuna, sardines, banana, coconut, fruits and most especially poultry and livestock products in the country as well as in the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA),’’ Reyes explained.

According to Reyes, the halal market will also help boost tourist arrivals in the country with the availability of halal food, which is a major concern among Muslim visitors.

Halal goods refer to products that the followers of Islam are allowed to consume.

The trade official added that the DTI was looking into the Halal Project, the Philippines’ initiative under the Agribusiness Cluster of the Food and Basket pillar of BIMP-EAGA.

‘‘This initiative is our way of opening halal products and services to our Muslim brothers and sisters in Mindanao and other parts of the country,’’ he added.

The country currently has a marginal share of less than 5 percent of the halal trade in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, valued at some $1.38 trillion.

Globally, the halal trade was estimated to be worth some $2.3 trillion, of which 60 percent is contributed by Asean, dubbed as the halal capital of the world.

The Philippines was deemed to have the potential to embark on the production of many halal products including food, textile (which is marketable in the United States and Europe), cosmetics and beauty products and pharmaceutical goods.