LACK OF REAL PLAYERS IN HALAL INDUSTRY

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) -- The halal industry is still being
dominated by traditional players because there is a lack of initiatives to
create real players in this industry.

Speaking at the 5th World Halal Forum 2010 here Monday, Chief Executive
Officer of the Halal Industry Development Corporation Malaysia, Jamil Bidin said
the halal industry was still dominated by countries like Aust ralia, Thailand
and Brazil.

"There must be change of mindset to get many more players especially from
the Muslim and Muslim majority countries," he said.

The two-day forum was opened by Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Jamil said the halal industry was more than that of meat products or food
related industries.

"It also covers the services...non food like pharmaceuticals, healthcare and
logistics industries," he said.

Dr Haluk Anil of the Dialrel Project, Britain's Cardiff University said that
interest in halal products has increased not only among the global Muslim
population but also non-Muslims.

Among the Muslims, he said the awareness and interest had increased
dramatically as the Muslim population had also increased globally.

Today, Muslims account for one fifth of the global population, with between
1.4 and 1.8 billion spread across 148 countries worldwide.

The global halal products market is estimated at US$2.3 trillion, not
including the banking.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Director, Halal Hub, Jakim Malaysia, Hakimah Mohd
Yusoff said with more seminars and trainings being held, more and more companies
understood what halal is all about.

Currently, the trend for certification not only covers products but also the
processing, she said.

Meanwhile, Irfan Sungkar, the Industry Advisor, World Halal Forum
Secretariat, Indonesia, said that there was no single indicator that can be used
to describe the growth and development of the halal industry.

In this context, he said there was a need for research to find out the level
of awareness among the people.

Dr Cedomir Nestorovic, an Associate Professor, ESSEC Business School, Paris,
said that last year the halal meat industry itself was estimated to be US$660
billion while the luxury goods industry in 2009 was about US$145 billion worth.

"So, the halal industry is more bigger than that of luxury goods industry
and also the global pharmaceutical industry," he said.

However, there are still many challenges in developing the halal industry.
For example, there is not a single halal laboratory in Europe, he said.

There is a need for people to be trained in the halal industry
management, he said adding that there was no MBA programme for the halal
business in any of the Muslim countries.
-- BERNAMA


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