July 11, 2008

As the Philippines aims to become a major player in the US$500-billion global market, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is urging the public and private sectors to support its proposal for Congress to pass a law creating a national agency that will focus on the country's halal industry.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the proposed agency would handle the regulatory functions for the halal industry to further develop the full potentials of the sector which could provide livelihood opportunities especially for Filipino-Muslims in Mindanao.

Yap said the Philippines enjoys a comparative advantage among other halal exporters in terms of developing a full-fledged halal industry, as it remains free of avian influenza or bird flu and the foot-and-mouth disease.

Assistant DA Secretary Clayton Olalia said "building the Philippine halal industry is on track" with the establishment of the Philippine National Standards for Halal Foods in tandem with the National Halal Accreditation Board of the Philippines and other recognized regional accreditation entities such as the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board.

Olalia is the DA coordinator for the halal sector. He helped work on the country's Halal Food General Guidelines which was formally launched during the convention. 

Halal refers to the kind of food permissible under Islamic Law.

He added that various initiatives planned under the Halal Food Industry Development Program which covers will also be pursued under these three major areas: (1) infrastructure; (2) market and (3) human resource and skills development.

The DA has so far established 12 halal abattoirs in the South, mostly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).