DAVAO CITY — The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) has vowed to resolve the problems surrounding the certification of local products as “halal” or permissible for consumption by Muslims so that the country can tap the growing regional market for these goods.
MinDA Chair Leo Tereso Magno noted that the problems have persisted through the years, lessening the chances of Mindanao products from taking advantage of the bright prospects in the market of BIMP-EAGA, referring to the so-called East ASEAN Growth Area composed of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Mindanao is the country’s main platform for the BIMP-EAGA market, being closest to some key economic centers of the neighboring countries.
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Magno said they are raising against time as they wanted to have the issue of halal certification taken up during the BIMP-EAGA Senior Officials Ministerial Meeting in October when policy recommendations for the further development of the sub-regional market are ratified.
“MinDA will spearhead in dealing with other countries within the BIMP-EAGA to come up with a clear government policy on several issues confronting the industry sectors, including halal certification,” said Magno, who is currently the Philippine Signing Minister for BIMP-EAGA.
Currently, cluster meetings of the different industry sectors within the Muslim-dominated BIMP-EAGA are ongoing to discuss issues and concerns to strengthen the growth area’s economic relations and cooperation, he added.
Joji Ilagan-Bian, MinDA board member and chair of the BIMP-EAGA halal committee of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said the upcoming 1st PCCI BIMP-EAGA Trade and Investment Conference on August 20 at the Manila Hotel will be an opportunity to thresh out the certification issues.
The conference will feature local and foreign speakers who will discuss the potential of developing the halal industry in the country, with sessions on exploring opportunities for collaboration among the BIMP-EAGA economies.
The halal industry in Mindanao has already picked up but its further growth, especially for export to Muslim countries, is bugged by certification, said Bian.
“I plan to bring in the key players, the certifiers, the bodies and talk to them and my understanding of what is causing the problem,” Bian said.
Under the law, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and the Department of Trade and Industry are declared as Halal Accreditation Bodies.
Last year, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region’s Board of Investments estimated the global halal market as amounting to $7 billion annually.