IQNA

Pakistan Has Potential to Triple Halal Food Exports

10:25 - September 10, 2013
News ID: 2587255
Halal meat is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, contributing around 16% to the total world trade, but Pakistan’s share in this is not as much as it should be, necessitating extra efforts on the part of the government to give much-needed boost to this sector.
“Pakistan can play a major role in the global halal meat industry and has the potential to become a market leader since it has all the required ingredients,” said Malaysian State Minister for Religious Affairs and Domestic Trade Haji Abdul Malik Kassim.
Kassim was speaking at the Halal Food Exporters Conference, organised by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in connection with the Lahore Shopping Festival 2013.
Kassim pointed out that Malaysia was playing a vital role in the expansion of halal food industry and taking all possible measures for promotion of halal products.
The Punjab government has already started work on halal certification and it can go a long way in further strengthening the exporters of halal products, he said, adding “promotion of halal products is in our national agenda.”
He expressed the optimism that Pakistan could triple halal food exports by formulating and implementing policies in association with the private sector.
Punjab Livestock Secretary Sajid Yousafani was of the view that Pakistan had the ability and potential to capture a sizeable share in the $2 trillion world halal food industry, but existing exports were no match to the country’s annual output of halal meat.
LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar said demand for halal products had increased manifold because of growing Muslim population around the world and the government should encourage exports of such products.
Source: The Express Tribune
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