RP hosts 1st National Halal Convention

MANILA, June 25 (PNA) -- Major stakeholders of Philippine Halal trade will meet on June 25–26 at the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), Roxas Blvd. to discuss the business opportunities and development of the Halal food sector.

The convention will stress the importance of Halal products in domestic and global markets.

Last February, the country has promulgated the Philippine National Standard for Halal food, which will eventually lead to the alignment of the Halal food industry to export standards.

Topics to be discussed include priorities and challenges of the Philippine Halal industry, exporting and business potentials. Speakers from Malaysia and Thailand have also been invited to share their Halal promotion strategies.

The convention is a joint undertaking of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Tourism (DoT), Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Health (DoH), DTI-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA).

These agencies harmonize their Halal programs as instructed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her Memo Order 201.

Halal is a billion dollar food industry that is waiting to be tapped by the Philippine food industry.

Over the years, Halal has evolved from a concern on faith and religious practice to a now cultural norm even with the non-Muslim, brought about by the demand in the global market for healthy and safety products.

The global market for Halal products is growing fast paced. For food products alone, the market is around US$ 550-billion, according to Malaysian statistical data. The figure does not even include non-food (example: cosmetics) products and Halal-related services.

The Muslim community in the Philippines is a niche market. There are about 10 million Muslims in the country, which automatically are prospective consumers of Halal products.