MindaNews / 30 September – The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is eyeing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a major international market for its agriculture and fisheries products, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) said.
MAFAR Minister Abunawas Maslamama said the agency is collaborating with the Prime Group of Companies in the bid to penetrate the oil-rich, Muslim majority nation with a population of at least 10.5 million.
Prime Certification and Inspection, the Philippine subsidiary of the UAE-based Prime Group, is a halal certifier accredited by the Department of Trade and Industry- Philippine Accreditation Bureau (DTI-PAB) for international market access.
It is also recognized by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) to give halal certification for food exports bound for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Maslamama led the MAFAR Halal Technical Working Group team for a week-long benchmarking early this month at Prime Group’s headquarters in Dubai.
“(We gained) knowledge and the mechanisms on furthering the development of the halal food industry in the region on aspects of certification and international market access,” he said in a statement.
Dr. Mary Jane Alvero-Al Mahdi, Prime Group CEO, engaged the MAFAR team during the benchmarking that included laboratory tour, company presentations and workshops to strengthen BARMM’s halal industry.
“We are proud to partner with MAFAR in this transformative journey,” she was quoted as saying by the Bangsamoro Information Office.
“The Bangsamoro region possesses immense potential. We are committed to sharing our expertise to help build a robust, sustainable, and internationally recognized Halal ecosystem that creates real economic value for its communities,” she emphasized.
Maslamama said they also met with officials of the Philippine Business Council of Dubai and Northern Emirates, discussing potential collaborations that could open business opportunities for farmers and fisherfolk in the Bangsamoro region.
He noted that talks centered on bringing high-quality halal agriculture- and fisheries-based products to the UAE market.
The MAFAR team also paid courtesy visits to the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi headed by Ambassador Alfonso Ferdinand Ver, who was represented by Consul Regatta Antonio-Escutin.
“The Bangsamoro region possesses immense potential. We are committed to sharing our expertise to help build a robust, sustainable, and internationally recognized Halal ecosystem that creates real economic value for its communities,” she emphasized.
The BARMM comprises the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Marawi, Lamitan and Cotabato, and the Special Geographic Area.
The Bangsamoro region, where majority of the country’s almost 5.7 million Muslim minority reside, has been pushing the halal industry as among its major fields of investments.
Even during the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the regional government then also dangled the halal industry to investors. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
