THE government will try to bring Brunei into the “cutting edge” of the global halal market this year, a government consultant said.
To this end, Abdalhamid David Evans, managing director and senior analyst for halal specialist consultancy Imarat Consultants, touted the upcoming International Halal Market Conference to be held here on June 5-6.
“We help manage this in conjunction with the Entrepreneurial Development Centre and the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, and the message I want to get across is that there are industry experts coming from all sectors and markets from all over the world,” he said. “They will be talking not only about food but also about tourism and finance, among others. This year, we are really trying to bring Brunei into the cutting edge and see how this market is developing. We will be reviewing the past, analysing the present and forecasting the future,” he said.
Abdalhamid said that because the Brunei Halal Brand is a national brand, it will help facilitate the Sultanate’s agenda, regardless of it being to get investors into the Agro-Technology Park or bringing small and medium enterprises into the global market.
He said that the size of the Sultanate represents a challenge for SMEs to go international, especially with the high cost of raw materials, logistics and labour.
“It is also difficult in terms of generating volume. The small volume and high cost results in a vicious cycle which is hard to get out of but if we look at the whole programme of national branding over the next three to five years, as Brunei and the branding becomes more well-known, this can help pull SMEs into the international market.” “The fact is that Brunei is going out into the world with high standards and good products. I think everyone will benefit from this. As the whole halal programme rolls out, there will be a trickle down affect, providing everyone with opportunities and benefits,” said Abdalhamid.
Despite this, he urged SMEs to not be fully dependent on the authorities but to “stand on their own two feet”.
“SMEs will always have challenges. Local SMEs trying to go into the global market has to be more focused on what they want to do. Your great challenge is to get the types of certification and accreditation that you need to get into the international market,” he said.
“These companies will have to rise to the challenges even though I know that there are government projects in the pipelines to facilitate some of these changes for SMEs to assist them into the overseas market,” he added.
The programme for this year’s halal conference has been divided into four main sessions of presentations covering topics like “Global Market Perspectives on Retail, Manufacturing and Restaurant Sectors”, “Converging Market Forces Covering Tourism”, “Online Media and Islamic Finance” and the “National Halal Development Programmes in Both Muslim and Non-Muslim Countries”. The Brunei Times
Latest by Melvin Jong:
- Two-day zakat course for women
- Brunei airport to turn lush, green and vibrant
- BSB plan to uplift four areas
- 'Riverfront Eco Corridor' to be defining feature of BSB
- PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences to offer more courses
