Philippines’ 1st Halal Congress seeks to make Mindanao a ‘logical halal hub’
A predominantly Muslim region of the Philippines hosted its first ‘Halal Congress’ in early October as part of its ongoing bid to become one of Southeast Asia’s leading producers of halal-certified foods.
The October 9 gathering, which featured an exhibition of halal-certified products and a forum on developments in the halal industry, was organised by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), a governmental jurisdiction officially created in 1989 but home to Muslim Filipinos since the 15th century.
The event offered an opportunity for the “exchange of information and halal best practices with other ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] countries,” according to Amir Mawallil, executive director of ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information. He added that the region’s “immense resource advantage and strong Islamic heritage” make it the logical halal hub for the Philippines and beyond.
Eight out of the top 10 export agricultural commodities in the Philippines come from Mindanao, which produces more than 34 million metric tons of crops – corn, bananas, coconut, coffee, mangos, pineapple, sugarcane and cacao – and 1 million metric tons of livestock and poultry each year.
“Most of the food produced here is for domestic consumption, but there are also multinational companies that export their products,” says Mawallil.
Plans to establish an ASEAN Economic Community this year would bring new opportunities for Mindanao to export to nearby ASEAN members Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, all of which have large Muslim populations.
During the Halal Congress, the regional Department of Science and Technology (DOST-ARMM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two halal-certifying bodies in the Philippines. “This strengthened partnership and collaboration with halal players, certifying bodies, and the whole halal ecosystem will pave the way for future growth,” says Mawallil.
The signing of the MoU follows the July adoption in the commercial centre of Davao City of a law ensuring that all food products advertised as halal are actually halal-certified. Explains Mawallil, “The ordinance provides for the promotion of consumer education and the protection of consumer rights, interests and general welfare, as well as preserving the integrity of halal products and services.”
The Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan for 2004-2010 identified ARMM as the country’s centre for halal production and processing. Says Mawallil, “This mandate serves as the basis for the region to take the lead role in the growth of the halal food industry [in the Philippines].”
The region has also established a state-of-the-art Halal Standards and Testing Laboratory, and set up the ARMM Halal Industry Development Inter-Agency Technical Working Group and its Technical Secretariat to “institutionalise and harmonise various initiatives on the halal food industry and strengthen coordination and linkages between the various stakeholders and players in the halal ecosystem,” according to Mawallil.
In order for the region to reach its full potential and grab a larger share of the estimated $1 trillion global halal market, it must continue to improve in a number of areas, including “laws and policies, production technology, infrastructure support, culture development, research and development, best practices, certification procedures and governance,” says the ARMM spokesman.
Delegations from the Philippines have also participated in trade fairs in the Middle East, such as the Third OIC Halal Expo held last December in Sharjah, in an attempt to broaden their access to foreign markets.
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