Halal Research Council will provide services to promote Halal Industry in Nigeria

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Halal Research Council (HRC) Pakistan & LCM Consulting Nigeria Limited

Muhammad Zubair Mughal, CEO Halal Research Council and Mohammad Lawal Shuaibu, MD LCM consulting Nigeria Signing MOU for the Development of Halal Industry in Nigeria

30^th March, 2015

 (Lahore) Halal Research Council and LCM consulting Nigeria limited have signed an agreement in Lahore. The MOU was signed by Muhammad Zubair Mughal, Chief Executive Office Halal Research Council and Mohammad Lawal Shuaibu, Managing Director LCM consulting Nigeria limited. Both the organizations will work together for the promotion of Halal industry as Halal Research council will facilitate the LCM consulting Nigeria limited in different aspects of Halal industry like Capacity Building, Research & Development, Shariah Advisory etc. As per agreement, LCM will promote the distance learning program of Halal Research Council with different universities and institutes related to food technology in Nigeria.

Mr. Muhammad Zubair Mughal, CEO Halal Research Council, mentioned that being an important country in Africa, Nigeria has a population of almost 180 million almost half of which is Muslims,so Nigeria can be an important target market for the growing of Halal industry and it can serve 58 other countries of Africa as well. He said that the growing concept of Halal is not only limited to Muslim countries asit is getting popular with Muslim and even Non-Muslim communities in Africa and Europe.In Future, the Continent of Africa can play an important role for the development of Agro-economics Halal industry wherein Halal meat, Halal dairy, Halal tourism, Halal logistics etc will gain importance. He mentioned that Halal Research Council is not only interested for the development of Halal Industry in Nigeria but also focusing for development of Islamic Banking an Takaful Industry through their sister concern “ AlHuda Center of Islamic Banking and Economics”, who already have a handsome presence in African Countries.

Mohammad Lawal Shuaibu, Managing Director LCM consulting Nigeria limited, said, Pakistan has lately gained a good repute in International halal industry. According to the agreement, the best halal practices of Pakistan will be utilized for the development of Halal industry in Nigeria.

Halal Research council is an international institute, which is serving halal industry for over five years through education, capacity buildings, training's, research and other areas in collaboration with strategic partners like PIHH Malaysia, Instituto Spain, Halal Transactions of Omaha USA, GmbH Germany, UHB Uganda Halal Bureau, IIDZ Australia,TITICF Honk Kong and others in more than 19 countries around the globe#

The Declaration of 4th International Halal Conference & Exhibition Issued

Pakistan would be the Halal Hub of future: Zubair MughalMarch 18, 2015 - Lahore: The 4th International Halal Conference and Expo 2015 held at Lahore-Pakistan, jointly by Halal Research Council, Punjab Halal Development Agency (PHDA) and USAID-PEEP.

That the Representatives of Trade and Industry Organizations and Institutions from Switzerland ,Malaysia, Bahrain, UAE, Mauritius, USA and Pakistan shared their views and valuable research on the different aspects of halal trade and Industry and the measures to promote the trade of halal food and non-food products.

Mr. Zubair Mughal the Chief Executive Officer of Halal Research Council, while talking to media expressed his mission to promote Halal Industry in Pakistan. He further said that both the provincial and federal governments have to come up for the halal cause as there is a huge potential for this sector to export Medicines & supplements, Cosmetics and personal care products, dress/clothing items especially leather base items, financing for the halal industry and the Tourism. He said that Pakistan has every capability to become Halal Hub in comparison with any other country and the whole world is anticipating Pakistan as a Halal Hub which is becoming reality. He further added that a huge quantity of Halal Food, Halal Meat, Halal Cosmetics, Halal gelatin and Halal bones can be exported from Pakistan through which we can increase our exports hence can cover the trade deficit. In addition to this, he said that Halal Research Council will continue its journey in the field of Research, Development & Innovation and will arrange the international conferences in South Africa, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and UAE in the year 2015. Where as at national level, a road show from Khyber to Karachi would be arranged and 300 seminars on Halal awareness in 100 cities of Pakistan within one month would be conducted.

A declaration was also made by the stakeholders giving serious consideration to the challenges faced and emerging issues of halal trade and Industry and the measures needed to promote trade of halal food and non-food products. This declaration emphasized to strengthen the relationship among the stakeholders of halal trade and industry especially ASEAN and OIC member countries through harmonized legislation and standardization by creating awareness about Sharia principles on halal and to take measures ensuring strict compliance of the Ordains of ALLAH SWT and his Messenger, the Prophet of Islam, regarding compliance of halal and tayyab.

Justice (R) Khalil ur Rahman the Chairman Punjab Halal Development Agency (PHDA) appreciated the interest of stakeholders in this conference and shared the contents of declaration with all the participants.

The Conference ended with renewed mission by the stakeholders' manufactures, traders, technologists, scientists, Shariah Experts and consumers to join hands in one direction with a recommendation to introduce Halal Laws into the curriculum at all levels be initiated at University level.

Source: https://www.zawya.com/story/The_Declaration_of_4th_International_Halal_Conference__Exhibition_Issued-ZAWYA20150318080123/?v=69

Global mark of quality for halal food begins with Australia and New Zealand exports to UAE

Halal food products from Australia and New Zealand are the first imports to be subject to the UAE’s new standards, which aim to create a global mark of quality for the Islamic food industry.

The halal mark was unveiled by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (Esma) at Gulfood yesterday, following a three-year development process that is part of Dubai’s push to become the global capital of the Islamic economy.

The new halal certification covers the full process from farm to slaughter to additives and ingredients used, Esma said.

The standards are backed by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the 57-country body that aims to preserve Islamic social and economic values.

Within two years all food imports will need the mark to pass through the country, Esma said.

About a fifth of the global food trade is halal, according to Datamonitor, and it is forecast to be worth US$10 trillion by 2030, a Global Futures and Foresights study says.

Halal food imports into the GCC will reach $53.1 billion by 2020, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“More than 85 per cent of the food we import comes from non-Muslim countries,” said Dr Rashid bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, who is also chairman of Esma.

“We need new standards of transparency and security for halal customers. There will be no disruption to the food chain, it will be an incremental change with Australia and New Zealand the first countries to fall under the new standards.”

Dubai was the fifth-largest market for lamb and sheep exports from Australia in the second quarter of last year, according to Meat and Livestock Australia. Saudi Arabia was the fourth-biggest during the period. Much of 2015 demand is expected to come from the Middle East.

“We are privileged to be the first international exporters, along with New Zealand, to carry the new halal mark,” said David Beatty, regional manager for Meat & Livestock Australia.

“I think the UAE sees that we have solid and strong certification in place and the integrity of our food chain is fundamental to that. We do not know what the new certification will entail, but we have most appropriate systems in place already so I do not foresee any problems. The present certification system is not homogenous, so the halal mark may well benefit exporters, importers and consumers.”

The new standards will also help UAE-based exporters compete in international markets, companies said.

“The accreditation means we will not need certificates from different regions with differing levels of compliance,” said Ishaque Noor, group managing director at Albatha Consumer Group.

“It will give customers and consumers total confidence that the food they are buying, and the supply chain, is Sharia-compliant.

“No longer will countries need to question the authenticity of a halal product. If it carries the halal mark it meets the strictest conditions of Islamic process.”

Albatha’s Global Food Industries, which manufactures frozen food in Sharjah, is the first company to get the mark on its products. Esma did not disclose which countries would next be subject to the new standards for halal food imports. But in October, Dubai said it was in talks with Malaysia’s government over a deal to agree mutually acceptable halal standards.

Yesterday, Brazil’s meat export body said the introduction of the mark would not cause any disruption to trade.

“We have three different certification bodies in Brazil,” said Ricardo Joao Santin, vice president of the poultry division at the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein. “We exported 230,000 tonnes of meat to the UAE last year with no problems. We have the utmost respect for religion and its requirements.”

Source: http://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/global-mark-of-quality-for-halal-food-begins-with-australia-and-new-zealand-exports-to-uae