Food

AO PAULO, March 5 – BRF SA, the world’s largest chicken exporter, has received 15 permits to export meat products from Brazil to Oman as it aims to strengthen its position in the Middle East market, the company said on Thursday.

The Brazilian food processor said in a statement it would be able to export up to 5,000 tonnes of food products per month to Oman, where it has had a commercial presence since the 1980s.

Oman is part of the lucrative halal market, which buys food according to Muslim dietary requirements. BRF’s net operating revenue from halal food sales totaled 2.2 billion reais ($475 million) in the fourth quarter.

BRF, which has a 12% share of the global poultry market, said plants approved to export to Oman are located in six Brazilian states.

Originally published on www.infosurhoy.com

Four major Thai companies had already invested in Pakistan while another four were exploring new opportunities for investment in Pakistan.

Lahore-: Consul General of Thailand Thatree Chauvachata on Saturday said Pakistan was one of the important trade partners of Thailand as both countries had ability to further strengthen mutual trade and economic ties.

He was addressing a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) where LCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, Senior Vice President Ali Hussam Asghar, Vice President Mian Zahid Jawaid Ahmad also spoke while Executive Committee Members Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim, Haris Attiq, Zeshan Sohail Malik and Haji Asif Sehar were also present.

The consul general said, in 2019, the bilateral trade between two countries jumped to over $1.46 billion, adding that Thailand exported goods and services worth 1174.25 million dollar to Pakistan.

Among these included automobiles, crude oil, chemicals, rubber products, machinery and polymer, etc. Similarly Pakistani export to Thailand recorded an increase of 41.45 per cent in 2019, he said and added that among these export items included fresh aquatic animals, garments and textile, etc. He said Pakistan ranks 36th in Thailand’s in global investment while it ranked second in South Asia.

He maintained that four major Thai companies had already invested in Pakistan while another four were exploring new opportunities for investment in Pakistan.

He said Thailand and Pakistan had been discussing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) since 2013 and hopefully it would be finalized very soothe n. He said Thailand was a major destination for tourists and last year around 80,000 Pakistani tourists visited the country.

He said political consultation at secretary level and meetings of Joint Economic Commission would be held during this year to further bolster economic relations between Pakistan and Thailand. He said that Pakistan had been actively participating in Asian Cooperation Dialogue while Thailand also supported Pakistan in its entry to ASEAN Regional Forum.

“In 2004 both countries signed MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on Anti Terrorism and other related crimes”, he added. LCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that Pakistan and Thailand enjoyed strong diplomatic relations based on mutual trust. He said that traditionally, Thailand and Pakistan had also been enjoying steady trade relations. Thailand comes at 9th place among the top importing countries and at 24th place among the top exporting countries for Pakistan.

“In recent years, the trade between the two countries has shown tremendous improvement. In 2016, the volume of two way trade was around one billion dollars that surged to 1.7 billion dollars in 2018. From 2016 to 2018, Pakistan’s exports to Thailand increased from 11,0 million dollars to 225 million dollars whereas Pakistan’s imports from Thailand went up from 920 million dollars to 1.4 billion, on dollars”, he mentioned. He said, “Pakistan’s exports to Thailand consist of frozen fish, wheat, mineral fuels and cotton etc whereas we are importing automotive parts, rubber tires, chemicals, polymers, artificial staple fibers and machinery parts etc from Thailand”.

The LCCI president said that a lot of further r progress could be made on the trade front by signing a Free Trade Agreement. The governments of both countries should take necessary steps in this regard.

Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that Thailand had made substantial progress in Halal Food Exports in last few years. “The LCCI has also identified Halal Food as one of our priorities sectors where we can enhance our exports. We would certainly like to learn from your experience and also enter into Joint Ventures with your private sector companies in Halal Food sector”, he added.

LCCI Senior Vice President Ali Hussam Asghar said that Pakistan had a very vibrant and growing Information Technology sector which offered a tremendous room for joint ventures between the two countries.

LCCI office-bearers invited the Thai businessmen to arrange sector-specific delegations to visit Pakistan to have first hand knowledge about the opportunities of trade and investment in Pakistan.

They said that active engagement of the business community and diplomatic missions of the two countries, exchange of trade delegations, exhibitions of products and socio-cultural programmes in each others country could prove handy in further improving people to people contacts.

Although Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world in terms of population, it, unfortunately, also becomes the largest halal importer as well. Surprisingly, Brazil is the largest halal exporter in the world. This should be a wake-up call for Muslims around the globe. In fact, almost, 85 of whatever food we, as Muslims consume, comes from non-Muslim majority countries such as Brazil, Australia, New Zeland, Thailand and so many others.

This painful sentiment was echoed by the Indonesian Ulema Council Food and Drug Analysis Agency (LPPOM MUI) Director, Lukmanul Hakim, who claims that Indonesia has become the largest importer of halal products in the world.

In his opening speech in an international halal seminar at Bangka Belitung, Lukmanul revealed that the total value of those imports amounts to a total of USD 169.7 billion, which he says is an “antithesis for our Muslim-majority country that is yet active in the halal trade and industry.” he said on Wednesday.

As for the largest exporter of halal products, he said it is held by Brazil, mainly in its beef exports and other derivative products.

“At a time where a non-muslim majority country [is the leader] in the halal industry, Indonesia remains to dwell in discussions about halal’s substance, certifications, up to who has the right to issue a halal fatwa,” he quipped.

He further explained that Indonesia’s halal industry has an untapped potential to develop the halal fashion industry, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and also halal-friendly travel services. Lukmanul said that this has been included in the government’s official program for 2020-2024.

On Jan 1, 2020, Italy launched an online marketplace for halal products called deenary.com, as the first-ever online marketplace for European Muslims. The platform offers Muslim-oriented products and services. ANSA, the fifth-biggest press agency in the world, already called deenary.com ‘the Amazon of Muslims’, and the main Italian financial newspaper, il Sole 24 Ore, entitled ‘The challenge to Amazon with the Halal product marketplace starts from Bologna’.

The online store, which is modeled on the business structure deployed by Amazon, is entirely targeted at European halal consumers and promoted by Meem Communication, a Milan-based halal market consultancy.

The new platform has the vision to bring global halal products trade at one single online marketplace where the sales and purchase of all halal products are done with one click.

“We aim to be the main partner for the halal industry in Europe, as we are already building a strong network between the stakeholders in the region. Deenary will be the online vehicle to address an ever-growing Muslim population in the continent, which now counts over 30 million citizens” says Yassine Baradai, Deenary.com’s CEO and Meem Communication’s founder.

Deenary offers a stock hub based in Bologna city for the EU and non-EU companies that aim to reach all the European countries. Many companies from Italy, Switzerland, the USA, France, UK, and Canada are already involved in deenary platform with over 1000 products available for halal consumers and wholesalers.

The available products are divided into three main categories: modest fashion, halal cosmetics, and halal food. Delivery is guaranteed within three days within Europe – with the exception of European Deprived Areas. PayPal, prepaid and credit card payments are accepted. 

Vendors can register on the platform free of charge to start selling their products that must have a halal certification for cosmetics and food goods. A small fee is later deducted on the orders placed. On deenary, buyers can also ask to view wholesale prices and purchase products directly from the wholesaler at competitive rates.

Deenary.com is now available in Italian, English, and French, but other languages will be available shortly, with a mobile app expected to launch in the next few months.

“We aim to combine Islamic lawfulness and quality”, says Baradai, and adds that selling products manufactured in Europe and connecting new halal markets. with a particular emphasis on North America and APAC regions, are among the company’s main objectives.

The manager of a central Alberta meat processing plant that already flies fresh lamb to Dubai every week says he expects the market for certified halal products will continue to grow.

Sungold Specialty Meats general manager Miles Kliner says his Innisfail plant processes halal lamb and goat meat products and supplies both halal and non-halal markets locally, nationally and abroad

“We certainly see continued opportunity in other countries in the Middle East — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait,” he said.

“Again, with the international standards the way they are, we feel we’re positioned to be able to capture some of that market.”

Kliner says the market for halal products — food that fits Islamic dietary laws — has grown by eight to 10 percent year-over-year in the past decade.

Sungold is the only federal processor of halal lamb in Western Canada and the largest federal processor in Canada.

“We’re very pleased that we’re able to provide the type of certification necessary for consumers to have confidence in the process.”

For meat to be considered under Muslim principles to be halal, the animal must have been blessed first by an imam and then slaughtered by hand and its blood drained.

“We electrically stun the animals in advance of the bleeding process. So we bring together the humane requirements as well as recognizing the traditional Muslim requirements for ritual slaughter,” Kliner said.

A recent provincial report put Canadian halal food sales at more than $1 billion in 2017.

The Alberta government says it wants to expand the province’s halal capacity as part of overall trade efforts.

Provincial trade and relations officer Aarij Bashir says that also includes the beef industry.

He says the province offers advice and help to current and potential exporters in areas ranging from foreign market access to regulatory barriers.

“We enjoy the support of the government in terms of helping to explore, develop and take advantage of the opportunities that exist,” Kliner said.

Originally published on www.cbc.ca

Manila: Filipino experts have developed a rice-based ready-to-eat halal meal that will serve as emergency food in calamity-hit areas of the country.

According to Nelia Elisa Florendo, chief of the Technological Services Division of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST-ITDI), the experts have developed a ready-to-eat (RTE) Arroz Caldo, or rice porridge meal, that would serve as emergency sustenance during times of calamity, when cooking food is difficult.

The Philippines is a country visited by about 20 cyclones every year, in addition to earthquakes and man-made calamities such as human conflict. Having emergency sustenance in the form of food and water will greatly improve disaster response.

Packaged in pouches, RTE Arroz Caldo has a shelf life of one year and can be eaten without cooking unlike instant noodles and canned food that requires water and a heat source to be cooked.

According to Florendo ITDI is working with a private firm, Kai-Anya Food Inc. to further improve the RTE Arroz Caldo.

Arroz Caldo is a common, Filipino rice-based chicken soup meal.

According to Florendo, the experts are working on processing Halal certification for the emergency meal so that it could also be distributed to Muslim areas hit by calamities.

It can be recalled that during periods when disaster strikes Muslim areas, emergency responders encounter difficulties since some calamity victims would ask for Halal food.

The RTE Arroz Caldo is being sold to the Department of Social Welfare Development which distributes it as emergency relief goods for victims of disasters/calamities in the country.

The social welfare department has warehouses across the country where relief goods are stored.

The ITDI serves as one of the pillars that laid the groundwork for science and technology in the country. It undertakes multidisciplinary industrial research and development, technical services, and knowledge translation or technology transfer and commercialization.

Originally published on www.gulfnews.com

Moscow- The authorities of Ingushetia are ready to arrange halal meat deliveries to airlines carrying out flights to the republic from Moscow, ” the chairman of the republic’s tourism committee, Beslan Miziev said.

“Rostourism implements the Halal-Friendly program, we intend to take part in it and provide the airlines carrying out flights to and from Moscow with halal beef and poultry,” Miziev said, TASS reports.

KARACHI: The year 2019 has turned out to be another low-growth year for Pakistan’s poultry sector, which is at its all-time low, owing to various tax anomalies and an unfriendly export environment.  Even those poultry businesses in Pakistan which run state-of-the-art units now find it difficult to carry on.

In the year 2019, yet again, Pakistan miserably failed to have its presence felt in a $3.7 trillion international Halal food market. Due to unjustified taxation policies, during 2018-19, the poultry industry was able to process less than 5 percent of the total broilers produced in the country, although, it is the world’s 9th largest chicken-producing nation with about 1.2 million broilers produced in the year.

On the contrary, the rest of the world’s major broiler producers and even the countries with marginal poultry production, process more than 95 percent of the total broilers produced.

To make things worse, finished poultry products under FTA with Malaysia are allowed to be imported in Pakistan free of import duty and sales tax, and from China at a preferential rate of 10 percent customs duty.

In contrast, the Pakistan government has imposed a heavy customs duty, sales tax and additional regulatory duties on the import of raw materials for producing poultry feed and for processing, value-added chicken products, thus making it possible for local poultry producers to compete in the international poultry export market.

To restrict the import of value-added poultry products, the government must immediately impose a regulatory duty of at least 40 percent on imports of finished products, processed chicken and tab eggs. This will give the poultry exporters a much-needed space they require for growth.

To curb illegal imports, global chicken importers must comply with Pakistan’s Halal Standards, and every consignment of poultry product reaching Pakistan must be accompanied by a certificate issued and authenticated by the Halal Regulatory Authority nominated by the importing country. This practice is quite common in other Muslim countries.

Although the article was originally published on Aaj news, we have edited some of the content to make it more user-friendly.