MANILA — The Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) led a delegation of manufacturers of halal products to Brunei Darussalam with hopes of tapping the thriving market there.
Some nine Filipino exporters recently joined the Brunei Halal Showcase on August 8-12 at the International Convention Center in Bandar Seri Begawan, which showcased products from the food processing, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical sectors.
Participating companies include Alter Trade Corporation, Castillejos Agrifarms, Inc., Edna and Rebecca’s Banana Chips and Coated Peanut, Fruits of Life, Inc., Year Luck Food and Industrial Corporation, Doxo Trading, Pasciolco International Inc., C and H Cosmetic Industry, and Stadler Laboratories Inc., the EMB revealed.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Abdul Macatoman said the Brunei initiative seeks to increase the opportunities for the local halal industry. This is part of government’s Philippine Halal Export Development Plan, aiming to increase the country’s share in the USD3.2-trillion global halal industry that is projected to climb to USD10 trillion by 2030.
On the sidelines of the event, Philippine and Brunei officials held a Joint Committee Meeting to draft guidelines in implementing the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Halal Industry and Halal Export Development and Promotion. The MOU was signed in April 2017.
Aside from Brunei Darussalam, DTI recently partnered with the United Arab Emirates-Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (UAE-ESMA) to strengthen halal certification and accreditation in the country.
The DTI sees halal industry as a new growth area for the Philippine exports, with the steady rise of Muslim population at 1.84 percent annually, Macatoman said.
He added that Asia alone represents 32 percent of Muslim population worldwide in 2016. (Kris Crismundo/PNA)
