Brazil Plans to Skyrocket Its Halal Food Exports

Brazil has launched the Halal Brazil project, a collaboration between the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, ApexBrasil. The project aims to encourage Brazil’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to seek halal certification and export to the Muslim world. The project plans to reach at least 500 SMEs and help them learn about Muslim markets and halal certification.

The organizers of the project will pay up to half the cost of the certificate, and they will also help some companies participate in promotional activities such as international fairs and exhibitions. The initiative is part of Brazil’s effort to expand its exports of halal products to the world’s 57 Muslim-majority nations and Islamic communities in other countries.

Silvana Scheffel Gomes, the head of marketing at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, said animal protein exports to the Muslim world had been a success story in Brazil. Although Brazil is not a Muslim country with only a tiny Islamic community, its businesses have tried to qualify their companies to enter those markets. She added that the success of Brazil’s animal protein exports had inspired the country to broaden its exports and take more Brazilian food products to Muslim countries. Nuts, dairy products, and fruit are among the products that Brazilian companies could export.

Many SMEs in Brazil are still ignorant about the potential of Muslim markets and the halal certification process, said Deborah Rossoni, a foreign trade analyst at ApexBrasil. She added that many people think fulfilling the requirements and obtaining a halal certification is complicated. However, she emphasized that it may only be the case of dividing production lines, for instance, to comply with halal demands.

Ahmad Saifi, the director of Cdial Halal, a major certifier in Latin America, said that more and more Brazilian fish-farming companies have been looking for a certification, and the Muslim consumer indeed prefers certified products. He added that fish producers have recently begun to attend international exhibits in the Muslim world, and tilapia and native species, such as the freshwater tambaqui and pirarucu fish, are drawing the attention of Muslim importers. Saifi said this segment is starting to look to international markets and has an excellent opportunity to sell its premium products abroad.

Caxias, a tilapia producer in the Brazilian state of Parana, recently obtained a halal certification. According to Caxias owner Jean Carlo Kuligowski, one of the company’s providers visited Expo 2020 in Dubai and noticed the potential of Brazilian fish in the Muslim world. The provider advised them to try and get a halal certification, and they decided to do it. It was a simple process for Caxias since production is concentrated at a farm with no other animal species, something that would have required more significant adaptation. Kuligowski added that the certificate shows that they have a high-quality product, which is helping their domestic business.

CDIAL Halal and other certifiers also participate in the Halal Brazil project. They provide useful information to SMEs and help them navigate the decision-making process. Saifi said Brazil is a gigantic halal exporter, but large companies dominate most sales. He emphasized that the country must improve its commercial presence in the Muslim world and introduce more sophisticated products. For instance, acai berries are now readily available in the Arab world, and versions of processed acai are increasingly being exported to the region, not only the raw material but items with added value.

Rossoni agrees that commodities exports have been tremendously important for Brazil’s economy, but the country can now prioritize “products with added value, including processed meat to meet the objectives of the Halal Brazil project.