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Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Ramon Lopez has urged businesses, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to investigate the “halal” market.
Lopez said the halal industry could increase Philippine exports as the global halal economy develops, during the 4th Philippine National Halal Conference on Thursday.
“The halal industry will add more exports, more to our export promotions because this is really a game-changer and a new segment for our export market,” he said.
As the country recovers from the pandemic, the trade and industry secretary said his department will continue to implement the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016, which will help businesses produce and market halal goods and gain a share of the global halal market.
“The Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Program, through our Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), committed to provide capability-building programs for the food and non-food MSME exporters to equip them with the right information when it comes to halal requirements, standards, processes, and regulations,” Lopez said.
More than 400 MSMEs and exporters, as well as more than ten halal certifying bodies, have benefited and been trained because of the program’s ten training modules.
“(The) DTI, for our part, has been pushing for a more inclusive approach to improving the halal industry. The official launch of the PH Halal App will boost our country’s readiness to supply halal-certified products and services and provide an easy access guide for halal establishments and products,” he said, adding that the app will also assist Muslim tourists who come to Philippines in finding mosques and halal-certified restaurants.
The DTI’s other initiatives to support the local halal industry involve including halal food in its FOOD Philippines branding and increasing the number of halal-certified products.
“In the future, we look forward to crafting a Philippine Halal Development plan, which is guided by an overarching goal of creating a Philippine halal ecosystem that is organized, structured, and recognized in the global halal economy,” Lopez said.
