Malaysia’s high commissioner to South Africa, Mohamad Nizan Mohamad, has appealed for greater bilateral business collaboration between his country and South Africa, especially in respect of the halal sector which has a global market capitalisation of almost $4 billion. Heading up a trade mission hosted by the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), Mohamad said South Africa had “huge potential” in providing Malaysia not only with raw meat but also with processed products for the fast-food halal industry. “I’ve been here almost a year now and have seen that you have a very good quality of high-grade beef.” Currently Malaysia, cited in the past by UN research as a leading producer of top-shelf halal food, imports its raw product from Australia and New Zealand. “We also import buffalo meat from India and we’re waiting to hear from Brazil. But we’re looking at diversifying the network of countries from which we source meat. That’s why we believe it would be very good for South African halal producers to tap into a growing market.” That market, Mohamad said, was expanding fast and represented around 1.6 billion Muslim people across the world. Flanked by Malaysia’s trade commissioner to South Africa, Haira Zainal, he pointed out that halal, because of its high hygienic renown, was extending its popularity beyond Muslim parameters. Malaysia’s efforts to set global benchmarks for halal have also paid off since the country identified food production as one of its primary business sectors, yielding 43 billion ringgit (R153bn) in halal exports by 2017. That figure is projected to balloon to 50 billion ringgit (R178 billion) by 2020 according to Sphere Exhibits, a Malaysian company which organised a food and beverage expo held in Kuala Lumpur in June. Writing ahead of the expo, Sphere said: “The global demand for halal will continue to increase. Figures show that the global halal industry is set to grow $3-4 trillion in the next five years, from the current $2 trillion.” Sphere added that according to Washington’s Pew Research Centre on Religion and Public Life, “79 countries will have a million or more Muslim inhabitants by 2030”. Said Mohamad: “There is great potential for South African exporters to become involved in Malaysia’s halal market. “It’s a major source of economic growth for Malaysia although there are stringent criteria to fulfil,” he said. “Malaysia’s halal stamp has become a world standard, Sphere said and we’re hoping soon to see South African meat in our country.” The process of succeeding with phytosanitary regulations, Mohamad said, was also well advanced. “Discussions are ongoing and we’re strongly considering importing meat from South Africa for producing products for our own as well as the markets to which we export.” In an ideal scenario, said Zainal, it was hoped that it would involve industrial investment from South Africa in Malaysia’s halalproducing sector. “My country is ranked 28th on the World Bank’s list of countries renowned for ease-ofdoing-business but we’re a net importer of food, so we’re looking forward to continued interaction with South Africa’s business community.”
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We’re hoping to soon see South African meat in our country. – Mohamad Nizan Mohamad