Zamboanga eyed as hub for halal exports

MANILA, Philippines - The government is set to develop a 100-hectare area in Zamboanga into a manufacturing base for export-quality halal products in line with its goal of making the country the halal industrial hub of the region.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), together with the local government units of Zamboanga City and the Zamboanga Economic Zone, broke ground recently for the development of the Asian Halal Center.

The Asian Halal Center is a 100-hectare estate expected to be  home for the production and processing of halal goods for the Muslim region.

The facility aims to be the center of halal industries in the Philippines and in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN growth area region.

“Mindanao is positioned to be the manufacturing base for export-quality halal products in the country. With Asian Halal Center, we expect to attract more locators and enhance our country’s position as the halal industrial hub in the region,” DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

The DTI said the center expects to have about 14 locators that would lease the center’s facilities.

It is initially targeting small and medium scale locators that will cater to the estimated $2.6 trillion global halal market.

“The growing halal market worldwide is a potential sector especially for our micro and small entrepreneurs. In the Philippines alone, we have an estimated population of 9.62

million Filipino Muslim. We need to urge them to seize this opportunity and tap the growing sector,” DTI Undersecretary Nora Terrado said.

Halal is used in relation to food and other consumer goods that have undergone certification as permissible for consumption and use by Muslims.

DTI, as the lead agency of the Philippine Halal Board, plans to increase the awareness of the availability, quality, and integrity of the halal products in the country.

After the signing of RA 10817 or the Halal Export Development and Promotion Act last May 2016, the agency is taking the lead in convening dialogues and initiatives in promoting the said sector.

The Philippine Halal Board, with Lopez as the chairman, was convened last Sept. 19.

The board is composed of members from nine  government agencies including the Departments of Agriculture, Health, Science and Technology, Tourism, Foreign Affairs, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Mindanao Development Authority, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, and two Filipino Muslim professionals who have yet to be appointed by the President.