Brunei To Set Up Company To Manage Halal Brand

Bernama -- The Brunei government is setting up a company to oversee the development of a halal brand in line with its move to be one of the major players of the halal brand globally.

Besides halal certification, Brunei wants to develop a renowned brand that can be recognised not only locally but also internationally as a credible brand for quality halal products, said Normah S.H. Jamil, acting director of the Agriculture Department of the Industry and Primary Resources Ministry.

"We are in the process of establishing a company to manage the brand. It will also help and become a springboard for our small and medium entrepreneurs to promote and market their products to overseas market," she told Bernama on the sidelines of the Third International Halal Products Expo 2008 here Thursday.

The department is the secretariat for the expo co-hosted by three ministries -- Industry and Primary Resources, Religious Affairs and Healtfourh.

The four-day expo from today at the International Convention Centre in Berakas showcases a wide range of halal products and services from 180 local and foreign companies from 14 countries.

Earlier, the expo was opened by the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Present was his son Putera Mahkota Brunei Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah.

The Brunei Halal brand is a project initiated three years ago by the Industry and Primary Resources Ministry with the cooperation of the Brunei Islamic Religious Council, Religious Affairs Ministry and Health Ministry.

Among objectives of the brand is to commit to the religious obligations and to increase the number of halal food that can be consumed by Muslims due to the emergence of varieties of products containing non-halal raw materials and ingredients.

Normah said the Brunei Halal brand basically acts as a "passport" for businesses to penetrate the world market besides serving as an alternative revenue for the country besides oil and gas.

Brunei, an Islamic sultanate in the north-west of Borneo, with a population of 380,000, solely depends on oil and liquefied natural gas as the country's main income.

However, the oil producing nation is gradually moving into a diversified economy, focusing on the halal industry and tourism.