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The Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) National Halal Strategy is expected to generate P230 billion in investments, create 120,000 jobs in five years, and support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to become part of a global halal ecosystem.
The halal plan, set to launch soon, in time for the Halal Convention Expo on Nov. 21 at the SMX Convention Center, will also address the growing demand for halal products and services from both the Philippines’ domestic market and from the 57 countries that are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
“Over the next five years, we plan to achieve P230 billion Halal trade and investments and generate 120,000 jobs,” according to DTI Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual.
“Halal as a way of life is not only for the Muslims. It is increasingly being recognized by many non-Muslim consumers worldwide because of ethical considerations, hygiene, fair trade, and just financing,” he added.
Considering the growing Muslim population of 1.9 billion people, the global Halal market is estimated to reach $7.7 trillion in market value by 2025, up from $3.2 trillion in 2015.
The halal strategic planning followed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s message to international investors at the World Economic Forum in Davos positioning the Philippines as a gateway to the Asia-Pacific region.
The DTI will be leading the nine-government inter-agency taskforce that will create a roadmap, which will position the Philippines as the most Halal-friendly trade and investment hub in Asia Pacific.
Further, Pascual highlighted that the Halal industry forms part of the DTI’s four priorities including promoting regional development; attaining food security; upgrading, upskilling, and upsizing MSMEs; and enabling job skills matching and skills upgrading.
The halal plan is not only confined to food and food-related products but also includes Islamic finance, halal-friendly travel and tourism, modest fashion, halal pharmaceuticals, and halal cosmetics sectors.
To cover the wide-ranging aspects of Halal economy, the Halal Taskforce will include the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), Department of Agriculture (DA), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).
Halal’s initiative for MSMEs
MSMEs are set to benefit from the DTI‘s halal initiatives including the P66 million partnership deal with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao-Ministry of Trade, Investment, and Tourism (BARMM-MTIT); Halal Convention Expo and Certification; Invest Philippines Week; regional development; and international cooperation.
The signed partnership deal between the DTI and BARMM-MTIT targets to promote Halal local goods and services provided by MSMEs, generating jobs through social entrepreneurship and local tourism, training entrepreneurs, and reviving the country’s creative sector.
The Halal Convention Expo will feature MSMEs, as well as a Halal preparedness and certification training program.
DTI is also launching Invest Philippines Week, which will feature sessions that will provide support to MSMEs for Halal industry development.
Similarly, DTI said that more slaughterhouses in the Philippines will soon be Halal-certified, through the signed agreement between the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), an attached agency under the DTI, and entities in CALABARZON for Halal training.
More than 100 MSMEs in Marawi are also being prepared to be Halal-certified as part of the economic rebuilding of the Maranao people.
Further, the DTI’s strategic halal plan follows the bilateral talks of the Philippines and Malaysia during the three-day state visit of President Marcos in July where the Philippines expressed its commitment to closely coordinate efforts to build capacity in the BARMM area, especially on sectors such as the halal industry, Islamic banking, and food security.
Additionally, the Philippines is set to sign another landmark agreement with the UAE, following a reaffirmed commitment to enhance and strengthen their economic ties between the DTI Chief and UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
In February last year, both sides signed the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) during the Philippine National Expo Day at Expo 2020 Dubai. Currently, they are in talks regarding the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
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