DTI, Halal Expo Canada collab targets P230-B in investments

The Halal Expo Philippines, organized as a collaboration between the Department of Trade and Industry and Canada, intends to create up to P230-Billion in investments.

According to a public briefing on Thursday, the project is planned to take place in November 2024 hopes to create over 120,000 jobs for Filipinos over the next 4 years as a result of joining the USD$7-Trillion global Halal industry.

“Napakalaking tulong po itong ating activity with this Halal Expo [and] with our partners as one of the gateways to promote Philippines as a halal-friendly destination,” said DTI Halal Industry Development Program Manager Aleem Siddiqui Guiapal.

(This activity is a really big help, with this Halal Expo [and] with our partners as one of the gateways to promote Philippines as a halal-friendly destination)

Attendees of the program may expect the participation of local and international companies in the event, as well as the promotion of the country as a halal hub covering halal ecosystems such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical industries, Islamic finance, and tourism.

“This is a very strategic activity to support the vision of our President towards the realization of these big economic opportunities,” Guiapal added.

The event will also mount business-to-business matching activities, capacity-building with research module development and training programs, and small business corporations providing assistance for halal industry startups.

Meanwhile, Halal Expo Canada on Halal Expo Philippines and Halal Expo Canada CEM Nasser Deeb said that Canada’s partnership with DTI will help bring tourism and more investments to the country.

“The Philippines is missing out so much of almost 2 billion Muslims around the world. They sometimes think that the Philippines cannot be halal-friendly, and that’s where the show comes in,” Deeb said.

“We want to spread the halal in terms of products in terms of services tourism [to] bring the world to [the] Philippines—the Muslim world, particularly the tourists [and] the people who want to invest in Philippines to feel more relaxed because [the] Philippines hosts more than 15 million Filipino Muslims, and that’s where the idea lies,” he added.

He also explained that the show intends to prove that halal was not an exclusively Muslim idea, and that it was a healthy and ethical lifestyle that could be adopted by everyone.

“The trade show will help and support the initiative of the DTI to further boost the halal industry, take it to the next level, and bring the world[‘s] attention to this great revolution of halal in the Philippines,” Debb said.

As a result of the partnership, the Philippines will also be participating in the Halal Expo Canada 2024 for the first time.

“It’s [going to] be a modest way of coming to the market. Basically, DTI[‘s] motive [is] to try to test the Canadian market, which is actually growing. We will be having a small pavilion for the Philippines… This will also help them to do the match-making [by] going to a field visit [and] meeting the stakeholders of the halal industry here in North America,” Deeb said.—RF, GMA Integrated News