Russian halal food firms eye export market, but dishonest certification practices impede growth
Russia’s 20 million Muslims are driving growth, with the number of halal certified products rising by nearly a third since 2019.
ST. PETERSBURG: Russian halal food producers are looking to the future with optimism and setting ambitious goals. In addition to expanding production domestically, they are also laying the groundwork for exporting to the Middle East, especially Gulf Arab states. But to do so, they must first confront dishonest halal certifiers, who plague the sector within this country, according to the Moscow-based International Association of Islamic Business (IAIB).
Despite this problem, Russia’s domestic market for halal food products is showing stable growth. Islam is the second biggest religion in Russia, with state agencies estimating the number of Muslims living in the country at around 20 million. Many of them live in predominantly Muslim regions – notably Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Bashkortostan and Tatarstan.
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Lena Smirnova