KARACHI:
The Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) has planned to construct Pakistan’s first Halal industrial park near Karachi, with technical assistance from the Halal Industry Development Corporation, Malaysia.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, SBI Secretary Investment Mohammad Younus Dagha informed the board would try to develop Halal parks in existing industrial zones to minimise project costs.
He said that a nine-member delegation of Malaysian experts would visit and share their expertise in the International Halal Conference 2011, scheduled for March 22-23 at the Karachi Expo Centre.
The Malaysian team will also meet local university officials in order to develop training facilities in Pakistan, said Dagha, adding that SBI was also looking forward to developing a Halal regulatory framework in the country.
This is the first time that Pakistani and Malaysian governments are collaborating in the Halal sector, where Malaysia has over 30 years of experience. Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Investment Zubair Motiwala said that Pakistan has huge potential to capitalise on the opportunity offered by the global Halal market of $1.3 trillion. Pakistan will be one of the few Muslim countries which have taken concrete steps to develop the industry. At present Australia, Brazil and Thailand possess 80 per cent of the market share.
Commenting on the global market, Motiwala said, “We should have made our mark in this market, as not many Muslim countries have developed their Halal industry.”
“Pakistan can phenomenally increase its pharmaceutical and food exports, if it acquires Halal certification, as this will lead to higher acceptability in international markets,” asserted Motiwala.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2011.
COMMENTS (2)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ