KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian local exporters of halal products will be gaining access to more markets in Asia, Europe and Africa andat a lower cost as a hub-to-hub project is underway to facilitate the movement of such goods from Northport to ports in China, Belgium and Dubai.
Halal Industry Development Corp (HDC) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Jamil Bidin said a signing ceremony would take place in China next month, which would see the inclusion of Tianjin Port in the project.
This initiative was in line with the goal of building up Malaysian exports through a larger halal marketplace, said Jamil, adding that halal exports had a lot room to grow.
He is convinced that halal exports will continue to grow significantly and boost Malaysia’s total exports.
“There is still a large gap between the supply and demand of halal products.
“The latest halal export figure of RM42 billion is still small considering the 1.8 billion Muslim population in the world. Malaysia should capitalise on this,” he told press.
It is forecast that by 2020, Malaysia’s annual halal exports would exceed RM50 billion.
Jamil said HDC also had plans to ride on China’s “One Road One Belt” strategy to gain access to other countries.
He said HDC would continue to promote the halal industry in Japan, the Middle East and North Africa.
