Malaysia Fast Moving Up as a Halal Hub and a Global Player

Malaysia's export of halal products should see e value of One Billion Ringgit this year, close to forty percent increase from two years ago. Strong demand was registered, especially from the members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the largest grouping of Islamic countries. It consists of 57 nations.

Minister of International Trade & Industry, Dato' Mustapa Mohamed, however, cautioned that trade level among OIC members is still low and much could be explored to strengthen trade volume. Nevertheless, he said Malaysia is in a strong position to register higher trade volume.

He said that with Muslims making up twenty-eight percent of the world population, this translates to about 1.8 billion people. Therefore, the demand for halal products is simply tremendous and local producers should tap this potential and go global to venture into new markets.

Malaysia has taken steps to place itself as a halal hub. This is supported with the various policies and initiatives, cascaded to all state governments when then set their own halal hubs and specialisation.

"Halal" carries universal value of cleanliness, beneficial and wholesome. Food items and ingredients should not have pork, alcohol or any unhealthy derivatives. Slaughtering of animals for food should also conform to Islamic rites.

Halal products are not confined to Muslims and, of late, non-Muslims have acquired heightened awareness on the benefits of halal products. In fact, a significant amount of halal products in Malaysia are produced by non-Muslims, with their manufacturing facilities adhering to strict good manufacturing practices.

Halal products categories in Malaysia are broadly grouped into the following classifications:

• Halal Beverages/ Drinks/ Herbal Drinks
• Halal Banking/ Insurance/ Re-insurance/ Leasing
• Halal Condiments/ Spices/ Seasonings
• Halal Confectionery/ Candy/ Bakers
• Halal Cooking Oils/ Edible Oils
• Halal Cosmetics/ Beauty Care
• Halal Fish Products/Fillets
• Halal Frozen Food/ Meat
• Halal Health Supplements/ Herbs
• Halal Medicines/ Ointments/ Pharmaceuticals
• Halal Processed Food/ Foodstuff
• Halal Restaurants
• Muslim Trade Organisations