September 18, 2007

Halal certification delays launch of Philippines chicken facility

Halal certification is holding up a P200-million (US$4.3 million) chicken project in the Philippines' Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The project, under the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei- Indonesia-Malaysia- Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area) was supposed to start last year, but the local certification party is still waiting for the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, to approve its manual of operations.

Such approval is needed to secure acceptance in predominantly Muslim markets like those of the Middle East, said Ishak Mastura, Department of Trade and Industry-ARMM secretary.

The project is ready but for the certification part, Vicente Lao, chief executive officer of the Davao City-based Maharlika Agro Ventures, Inc., said.

Maharlika is partnering with Brunei investors for the 123-hectare project in the special economic zone in Parang, Mindanao.

Lao said at an earlier conference that the companies are not rushing things so as to avoid mistakes.