THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it plans to strengthen certification bodies for halal products next year to better position the Philippines to compete in the $7-trillion global market.
“Another industry that we’re pushing is halal. It’s something that is going to be a priority for next year. The global market for halal is now $7 trillion, so it is something that we can really push aggressively,” Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque said at a briefing last week.
“All we need is to strengthen the certifying bodies for halal. We already have the products and the companies that have these products and are willing to go halal. So we just need to get certifying bodies that are accepted in the Middle East market,” she added.
“Certification is the key to exporting these products to the countries that want them,” she said.
She said the DTI has been inviting halal certifying bodies in the Middle East to establish offices in the Philippines.
“There are also halal trade shows to which we invite local and international buyers because there’s also a market for halal here in Mindanao,” she said.
She said that the DTI is in talks with exporters to include halal products in their offerings, citing the opportunity to break into new markets.
She said she will personally oversee the halal effort.
“Halal will be under the office of the Secretary. It is going to be part of special concerns because I want an aggressive approach and I want to be on top of pushing halal locally and for export,” she said.
She said that there are only 20 halal certifying bodies in the Philippines. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
