MANILA: Philippine trade officials are helping small businesses in Mindanao boost their output in the halal market, as Manila continues its efforts to expand the domestic halal industry.
The government launched a national halal strategy in January, which includes targets to raise 230 billion Philippine pesos ($4 billion) in investment and generate about 120,000 jobs by 2028 by tapping into the global industry, which is estimated to be worth more than $7 trillion.
The Department of Trade and Industry visited western Mindanao’s Zamboanga City last week, where officials met local business owners to strategize ways “to harness the region’s vast potential and capitalize on the global halal market,” it said in a statement.
The halal industry is strategically important “in catalyzing economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation in Mindanao,” the DTI added.
In Zamboanga, the DTI held discussions with local authorities and business communities in an effort to unite “commitment to driving the halal industry’s growth.”
The department also recognized 13 halal-certified establishments in Zamboanga as part of the visit.
Zamboanga City’s strategic location to further expand the Philippines’ domestic halal industry also makes it a potential halal hub for the country, said Aleem Guiapal, who heads the DTI Halal Industry Development Program.
“Zamboanga is a strategic point that connects the island province and also the mainland provinces of the Bangsamoro,” Guiapal told Arab News on Monday, referring to the Philippines’ Muslim-majority region.
But trade officials will also be visiting other cities across the country to move the Philippines’ halal strategy forward.
“Any region is a potential halal hub,” Guiapal said. “We just need to provide the parameters, the availability and accessibility of halal products.”
