The fifth International Halal Product Expo (IHPE) ended last night on a record note as it drew 53,797 visitors, far higher than the 39,000 who visited the fourth edition last year. “It has been very promising and encouraging,” said Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awg Haji Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, in an interview after the closing ceremony of the IHPE yesterday.

“There have been a lot of lessons learnt, a lot of insights, and there’s now a lot of planning to do because we’re looking at a glimpse of the picture, and we need to look at what it is we need to make it work, after looking at the past and the present, and what is coming.

“We need to strategise. Strategy can come in many ways and many stages, so we’re looking at how to look up with the help and views expressed by the participants.”

Asked about the development of the Brunei Halal Brand, the minister said, “It’s been a year since we launched the Brunei Halal Brand, and we’re trying to make it a brand that is owned by Bruneians, so our first stage is more of an awareness exercise trying to bring a sense of belonging; it belongs to the country, it belongs to Brunei. Making it a bit longer, it just takes effort and time to do it.

“The effort is seen in the selling of products that carry the Brunei Halal Brand label,” said the minister. “We’re doing it through Hari Raya hampers so that people will associate the brand with the country and with the quality of the products that we give. This exercise will take some time,” he added.

The sixth International Halal Product Expo is scheduled to be held in June 2011. According to organisers, the Brunei Halal team will be conducting international road shows in the coming months.

“The Brunei Halal will be introduced, firstly, to regional countries and, following this, will be introduced to the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East as well as the United States,” said Noel Shield, CEO of Ghanim International Food Corporation Sdn Bhd.

“We want to develop our own SMEs by launching the brand,” continued the minister. “For them to use the Brunei Halal company brand, commercial brand, they have to start a factory or plant here. That’s the requirement, so that means that production has to be done here, but if they want to use the religious council brand without having to do that then they just qualify under the Majlis Agama Islam (the purple brand), but for the green Brunei Halal Brand, production has to be done here,” the minister clarified.

“Probably next year we need to bring in more quality than quantity. We can still improve on it. We may need quality participants and also a lot of networking.”

In a forum held during the expo, Adrian Jacklowsky, Managing Director, Asia, for DSM Nutritional Products spoke about “Quality for Life”.

Asked what he thought could be done for Brunei Halal Brand and its products in relation to that, the minister said, “In fact, in terms of Halal-ness, it requires certain things. Aside from the religious requirements, precepts must be set. For example, you have to recite the ‘Bismillah’, in the name of Allah, and you have to cut it in a way that’s less painful to the animal. It’s also mentioned in ‘Taiban’.

“Taiban means quality, or goodness, so it ties in with what (Adrian) says about quality for life – things that are good in life. You don’t want to consume things that are harmful to you, so it’s Halal requirements that we try to project and we try to use,” he added.

Meanwhile, the majority of visitors expressed their delight over the wide array of local and international Halal products during the four-day event.

In an interview with the Bulletin, two local entrepreneurs Amal and Yus rated the event as good quality due to the diverse variety of products and sideline events that built up the public’s interest.

“It’s good. It’s not a daily thing, it’s different,” said Amal. “The set up was different, more cosy and was not like your normal expo, and there’s lots of food.”

When asked why people should buy Brunei Halal Brand products, he said, “If the local people don’t try to promote it, who else will?

“You can just take it off the shelf without having to look at the ingredients if it has the Brunei Halal certification,” she added.

Yus said, “It’s good that the government is promoting and exposing the products. Some locals can’t go abroad to places like Thailand or Indonesia, but this expo allowed people to see the products from other countries.”

Meanwhile, a Ghanim representative reported brisk sales of Brunei Halal Hari Raya Hampers. “Sales of the hampers have been good. We sold more today than we did at first. Bobby Chinn helped.

“After today, people can get the hampers at our office or they can come and purchase them at The Mall in July,” said the representative. “We want people to taste the products. Hopefully, the products will be in supermarkets by the end of the year.”

IHPE aims to be one of the platforms to bring the public and private sectors together, to help Brunei explore opportunities in the Halal market, and for local small and medium enterprises to penetrate the international market through arranged networking sessions, a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources said.

• Alleged kidnap story doing rounds
• FIFA 12 Tournament kicks off at Times Square
• JIPK holds roadshow in Tutong
• New laws seek balance between environment & development
• Times Square To Give Away Semi-Detached Bungalow