Brunei Partakes In Singapore Halal Expo

By Sonia K, Borneo

Bandar Seri Begawan - Singapore Minister for Environment and Water Resources cum Muslim Affairs Minister In Charge Dr Yaacob Ibrahim officially opened the inaugural four-day Singapore International Halal Showcase on January 24.
In attendance were officials from the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI) and ADEX Communications Pte Ltd, and entrepreneurs from several countries such as Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

The Brunei delegation was represented by Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Hamid bin Haji Mohd Jaafar.

Eight companies from Brunei exhibited at the Singapore expo, which was held from Jan 24 to Jan 27 and spearheaded by the MIPR Promotion and Business Facilitation Division.

The companies were TMM Processing, BMC Food Industries Sdn Bhd, Halaqah Sdn Bhd, Ori Enterprise, Sabli Food Industries Sdn Bhd, Marimin, Syarikat Mustaqqium and Ridah Enterprise.

During the expo, Brunei SMEs were able to network with other entrepreneurs at the expo and showcase their products to the public. MIPR also had the opportunity to promote Brunei as an investment destination and the upcoming 3rd International Halal Product Expo and Conference to be held from August 14 - 17.

In conjunction with the exposition, a Halal Business Seminar was also organised under the theme The 21st Century International Halal Markets: Asia's Untapped Opportunities."

The two-day seminar which commenced on Jan 24 at the Singapore Expo was launched by Mohd Akbar Abdul Kacler, Vice President of the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI) and Chairman of SIHAS Organising Committee.

On the first day of the seminar, Dato Haji Mohd Harnid - who was invited as a special guest speaker presented a paper on the 'Opportunities and Strategies in Halal Market: Brunei's Perspective.'

During his presentation, he touched on areas such as opportunities in the halal industry, opportunities in the Non-Muslim population, strategies in the halal industry, Brunei's strategy in the halal industry, Brunei Halal Brand as well as the current progress of the Halal industry in Brunei.

Speaking on Brunei's strategy in the halal industry, he noted that Brunei's per capita GDP is B$47,964 - which is one of the highest in the region - may not be sustainable in the future. This is because the underlying socio-economic structure for that wealth is based on one industry: the oil and gas industry.

As for the Brunei Halal Brand, he said, "Brunei's food production industry is not well developed. We import a substantial amount of food products. In fact almost 80 per cent of our food requirements are imported.

"In 2006, our importation of food and live animals was valued at B$374.4 million. That constituted around 14 per cent of our total import value. One of our limitations therefore is that we don't have the production capacity that can compete with our neighbours."

He continued to say, "Since we import much of our food, the relevant authorities must ensure that imported foods conform to strict halal requirements. That led to the development of Brunei's stringent halal regulatory and certification system.

"Halal is therefore one of our strengths that could be used to support economic diversification objectives. Thus, there is therefore a dual nature of our participation in the halal industry.

"One is fulfilling a religious obligation of ensuring that Muslims consume halal food and the second is to take advantage of the economic opportunities in this industry. So we decided to develop a Brunei Halal Initiative in late 2005," he added.

Speaking on the current progress in Brunei, he touched on the Sultanate's targets for 2008.

He said that Brunei's work in the establishment of the commercial hub should be finalised to meet the business requirements of companies interested in Brunei Halal branding.

"I am pleased to inform you that around 200 companies in Australia have indicated their preparedness in being associated with the Brunei Halal Brand. This includes over 160 food manufacturers and 40 companies involved in providing services to the food industry - packaging, storage, transport, and specialist advisory services.

"We hope that the first accreditation of several Australian food companies will have been completed by February 2008.

"We also plan to launch the Brand logo internationally with the products in the new brand image being in the marketplace between the first half or third quarter of 2008. Our objective is that within five years, the Brunei Halal Brand will be truly a major feature in the international Halal food market," he stressed.

Dato Haji Mohd Hamid was invited as the panellist on Day Two of the seminar that discussed various `Initiatives to tap into the Halal Asia Markets.'

A total of 13 speakers from six countries shared information and insights on the market opportunities in Asia's halal industry as well as ideas on how the various players in Asia may, collaborate in penetrating the vast opportunities in Asia's halal industry.

Participating in the discussions were several officials from the Department of Agriculture and Policy and Planning Division as well as managers of several Brunei companies.