Pakistan?s economic growth can be doubled if the government properly taps the expanding world economy.

As the demand for Halaal food surges, international food chains have harmonised themselves with Halaal trends. Being certified as Halaal, many fast food franchises have witnessed an increase of 30 per cent customers around the world.

International business environment is lucrative and Pakistan is spotted nowhere in the world Halaal market. As per the Ministry of Commerce figures, Pakistan?s share in the rapidly growing Halaal industry is very negligible and stands at less than 0.3 per cent of total global business.

Pakistan has the capacity to nurture Halaal market to boost its ailing economy.

According to statistics, the Muslim population is growing at the rate of 2.9 per cent per annum and is expected to be 30 per cent of the world?s total population by 2025. With this growth, the global demand for Halaal food and Sharia compliant products and services continues to increase. Surprisingly, more than 80 per cent of the world Halaal trade is done by non-Muslim countries who have utilised the Halaal brand name to their economic benefit and have emerged as the biggest exporters of Halaal products.

Among Muslim countries, Malaysia is the leading global player in Halaal market. ?Pakistan has a very little share in the world?s Halaal industry and its Halaal export is restricted to only Middle East,? said Dr Tanvir, an exporter of Halaal food.

In the international market, Pakistani products are not considered as Halaal despite the fact that slaughtering, processing, packaging and other procedures are Halaal. A recent survey conducted by Halaal Development Project Pakistan proved that people in China and Africa refused to buy Pakistani products as they did not find a Halaal logo on them. However, they picked up those products bearing the Halaal logo.

Pakistan Meat Processor and Exporter Association General Secretary, Syed Hassan Raza, said that Pakistan should develop a government body similar to the one in Malaysia, which is authorised for Halaal certification or Halaal logo to be accepted all over the world.

It is unfortunate that none of successive governments bothered to build Halaal infrastructure in the country. Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) claimed to have established a Halaal authentication laboratory. However, a senior official confided that the lab lacks paraphernalia to analyse Halaal and haram products clinically.

Edited from: http://tns.thenews.com.pk/a-gap-Halaal-market/#.U_1bQYFBvqA

SANHA Comments: Upon the request of Pakistani industry, SANHA has opened offices in Karachi and Lahore. It is hoped that Muslim countries apply themselves in servicing the Ummah in the field of Halaal. The belief that a product made in Muslim countries must be Halaal, ignores the fact that in the global village, many critical raw materials are imported.