COTABATO CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 12 launched on Tuesday the Halal Food Industry Development Program (HFIDP) here, with Agriculture Undersecretaries Eduardo Gonggona and Ranaibai Dilangalen representing Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol.
Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. In preference to food, it is the dietary standard, as prescribed in the Qur’an.
Dilangalen, who hails from this city, said the launching of the program was anchored on Republic Act 10817 otherwise known as the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016.
Under RA 10817, DA was mandated to develop the halal industry in the Philippines and enhance the capabilities as well as the global competitiveness of existing and potential exporters of Halal products, processes and services.
Halal industry players and stakeholders are provided with financial assistance through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, an attached DA agency. Dilangalen, the DA undersecretary for Special Concerns, was designated by Piñol as the DA-HFIDP national focal person.
Last year, the said official led a series of halal roadshows and consultations for DA-HFIDP in every region to prepare the stakeholders in the implementation of this program.
“The DA allocated an initial fund of PHP44 M for the halal extension, support, education, training services, while PHP15 M was intended for the distribution of production support assistance,” Dilangalen told local officials.
The DA-HFIDP is the sixth banner program of DA from the original five programs that included Rice, Corn, High Value Crops, Livestock and Organic Agriculture.
Dilangalen said with the creation of DA-HFIDP, halal food producers in the country will have better opportunities in the processing and marketing aspects.
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu said the HFIDP launching “is a dream come true for us, since the long wait of our Muslim consumers is finally over.”
“We are happy that a specific program for halal food industry was realized under the administration of President Duterte and Secretary Piñol,” Mangudadatu added.
Mangudadatu stressed the need to empower farmers and producers of food and non-food items in promoting the halal industry. He also urged local food and non-food producers in Maguindanao to organize themselves into a cooperative for speedy processing of subsidy from the government.
In February, Piñol and Mangudadatu inaugurated the operation of the country’s first halal hatchery in the provincial capital town of Buluan. Investors in this project said the hatchery can produce 120,000 chickens a month.
The factory, on the other hand, can produce 60,000 dressed chickens twice a week once in full operation. (By Noel Punzalan and Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
