text HADER GLANG
The establishment of Halal lanes or corners is being pushed in Zamboanga City as the demand for Halal certified products in the domestic market grows fast.
DTI-9 Regional Director Nazrullah Manzur said operators and owners of major grocery store and supermarkets in the city are keen to set up Halal lanes.
“But they asked that they be given time to set up the lanes as the work entails lots of logistical support,” Manzur said.
The DTI official said the opening up of special lanes exclusively for Halal products is a very good marketing strategy for storeowners, as it will certainly attract patrons, particularly the Muslims.
If this pushes through, Halal lanes or corners shall have been installed in major grocery stores and supermarkets in the city by October this year, in time for the celebration of the National Consumers’ Month.
“Roughly 30% of the total population of the city is Muslims – a captive market for Halal food and non-food products. This does not include those that regularly come to the city from the neighboring provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi,” Manzur pointed out.
The concept of opening Halal lanes, aside from offering new business opportunities, is in line with the DTI’s mandate under the Consumer Act of the Philippines to safeguard consumers against misrepresentation, mislabeling and the fraudulent use of the Halal logo in products sold in the market.
The annual value for Halal food worldwide is estimated at US580 billion and is growing fast. Aside from food, there is also a huge market for non-food Halal products that include cosmetics, perfume, toiletries, body care pharmaceuticals, herbal and healthcare products.
DTI-9 Assistant Regional Director Sitti Amina Jain said that there are also lots of business opportunities for fashion accessories and apparel, food processing plants and abattoirs, in service industries and in many other industries.
“This will be the first in the Philippines, though not necessarily the first in the world as there are already operational Halal lanes in Thailand, Australia and in the State of New Jersey, USA,” Zain added.
Meanwhile, a private sector-led Halal certification Board (HCB) is expected to be activated by this month, to fast track development of the halal industry in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The Local Government Support Program in the ARMM (LGSPA) said the HCB would be led by the ARMM Business Council and the Dar'ul Ifta, a council of senior religious leaders serving as final arbiter on matters relating to Islam.
The HCB is tasked to verify that what is declared halal is in accordance with Islamic rules of consuming only permissible food and non-food products as prescribed by the Holy Qur'an.
The Mindanao Business Council announced last month that around 15 tons of poultry products from Maguindanao are targeted as pilot shipment for halal export before the year ends. It will be shipped to the Middle East where there is a multi-billion poultry market.
The creation of the Halal board is overdue and fundamental in Halal certification in the ARMM, where majority of the country's Muslims live, the LGSPA quoted ARMM's trade and industry secretary, Ishak Mastura.
The LGSPA teamed up with the ARMM's DTI in the formation of the HCB in developing the board's guidelines and manual of operations.
The crafting of the Halal guidelines and manual will involve consultations with the Dar'ul Ifta and provincial Mufti in the ARMM to ensure consensus that these are all in accord with Islamic injunctions.
On May 18 in Cotabato City, ten Muftis from the ARMM provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur signed a commitment to support the creation and operation of the board after studying the Qur’anic imperatives of halal certification and its organizational framework. (ZS)
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