Halal Expo to open new horizons for exports

By Ergin Garip

ISTANBUL (AA) - The 9th World Halal Summit and the 10th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Halal Expo are expected to open new horizons in the export industry.

The four-day events will be held concurrently with Anadolu as the global communication partner and will begin at the Istanbul Expo Center on Nov. 23.

Türkiye, which has set an export target of $300 billion in 2025, has stepped up its search for alternative markets. It currently exports to 197 countries and focuses on the halal market, with its high potential.

Yunus Ete, the chairman of the World Halal Summit Council, said the halal market has exceeded $7 trillion in value and is expected to reach $10 trillion in the next five years.

He said that new horizons in exports can be opened with the halal market.

"According to the OIC Halal Economy Report, Türkiye, Indonesia and Malaysia managed to be among the top 20 exporters of halal economy products.

"Together with Malaysia and Indonesia in halal economy products, Türkiye stands out as one of the three countries that have the capacity to produce and export more than 20 items," he added.

Ete said that spending on food by consumers in Muslim countries exceeded $1 trillion in 2022 and is expected to increase to $1.5 trillion by 2026.

He said this growth offers a strong opportunity in production, investment and exports among OIC countries.

"There is high consumer demand for healthy, halal and organic food products. OIC countries are dependent on imports in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors," he added.

Seeing this opportunity, Turkish companies are focusing on investments in halal-certified products, he said, adding they are also taking very strategic steps to create a strong network in this market.

Ete underlined the importance of the expo and the country's Halal Accreditation Agency in this regard.

He said preparations for the 9th World Halal Summit, the world's largest halal event, and the 10th OIC Halal Expo fair are continuing at full speed.

Noting that companies looking for alternative export destinations have shown extra interest in the fair this year, Ete said there is a very strong demand for the Halal Expo Fair.

"Last year, 446 domestic and foreign companies from 39 countries participated in the fair and 31,905 people visited. This year, we expect more than 500 local and foreign companies from more than 40 countries to participate and 40,000 visitors."

He said important companies in the fields of food, food technologies, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, textiles and modest fashion participate in the event.

This year, there is also serious demand for exhibitors from sectors related to Islamic finance and halal tourism, he added.

Noting that the World Halal Summit is being organized simultaneously with the fair, Ete said that this year's summit will be held under the main theme of "A Gateway to the Global Halal Economy: Unveiling the Potentials.”

During the summit, where the halal economy will be discussed in areas such as accreditation, certification, food, medicine-chemistry-pharmaceuticals and tourism and finance, the world's leading names with strong studies in this field will share the latest data in the panels organized, he noted.

Ete said the International Chefs Championship has also been organized simultaneously with the fair and the summit since 2018 and added that this year, the event will be organized much more comprehensively.

"This year, 1,000 cooks will participate in the championship, which we organize in cooperation with the All Chefs and Pastry Cooks Confederation (Taspakon) and the World Platform of Islamic Countries Culinary Societies - WICS," he noted.

"In addition to the inter-country cooks competition, we will organize 'Chefs Talks' conferences with the participation of hotel chains, world-famous restaurant-cafe managers and famous people related to gastronomy," he added.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun