Showing posts with label HALAL MARKET. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HALAL MARKET. Show all posts

Saturday 25 April 2009

Halal Forum expected to generate million-ringgit deals

Halal Forum expected to generate million-ringgit deals
By Hamisah Hamid

Published: 2009/04/24


THIS year's World Halal Forum (WHF 2009) will continue its tradition of generating several hundred million- ringgit worth of deals, its organisers said yesterday.

The previous three forums resulted in about RM500 million investments from international companies, KasehDia Sdn Bhd executive director Nordin Abdullah said.

Last year's event witnessed several hundred million-ringgit worth of deals signed, and this year's instalment should see similar performance, he added.

"And this is a conservative estimate," said Nordin, who is also WHF deputy chairman.

Earlier, KasehDia managing director Jumaatun Azmi said there will be a series of memoranda of understanding (MOUs), matchmaking and joint-venture deals signed during WHF 2009 and World Halal Research Summit 2009 (WHR 2009) next month.

"You can expect a very big announcement on the first day of WHF, involving a large public-listed company," she said at a news conference yesterday, but declined to elaborate.

Halal Industry Development Corp Sdn Bhd (HDC) chief executive officer Datuk Jamil Bidin said during the event, HDC will sign an MOU with a Muslim European country to develop halal industry there.

Areas covered in the deal include halal standards, training and halal parks. He said the collaboration provides an opportunity for Malaysian companies to penetrate the European market.

Themed, "Achieving Global Halal Integrity", WHF 2009 will take place on May 4 and 5, and host two concurrent parallel sessions - one on International Halal Integrity Alliance (IHI Alliance) standards and another on business and trade.

The first draft of 10 modules for the Global Halal Standard, which is expected to be endorsed by the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) standards committee in the next few days, will be presented for public comment at WHF 2009.

Besides delegates from OIC countries, other international participants will come from the US, the UK, China, India, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia.

Meanwhile, WHR 2009, a conference on new research findings, emerging technologies and trends in halal industry, will be held on May 7 and 8.

Both events will be held in conjunction with Halal Malaysia Week, which will also feature the 6th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (Mihas 2009).

The global halal food sector grows 25 per cent annually, with increasing demand for value-added halal food products from Muslim population in developed countries such as halal sausages, pizza, microwaveable food and others.

There are currently about 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide, while the global halal industry is estimated to be worth US$1 trillion (RM3.64 trillion) a year.

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/23WHF/Article/