By Muhammad Luqman
In a bid to increase its share in the global Halal food market, Pakistan has decided to constitute a Halal food regulatory authority at federal level that will help increase the exports of food, medicine and cosmetics to destinations across the world.
“Pakistan Halal Food Authority (PHA) will be made functional at the earliest,” Rana Tanveer Hussain Federal Minister for Science and Technology told a meeting in the capital ,Islamabad on Monday.
He said that Halal Food processing in the country would help earn precious foreign exchange to strengthen national economy.
According to available data, the Muslims constitute 24% of the total world population but more than 80% of the world halal trade is dominated by non-Muslim states. World’s leading suppliers for Halal products including high quality meat, poultry, dairy products and other foods are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand and USA. America and Australia are the biggest Halal beef exporters while Brazil and France are the biggest Halal chicken exporters in the Middle East.
Pakistan’s share in the total global halal food market is negligible which is around only $28 million, just 0.5% of the total global halal food trade. Pakistan is the leading Muslim country and it is astonishing that its share in global halal food market is less than India’s.
