Senator Cynthia Villar raised such scenario as she rallied for support from stakeholders of Region 12 for Senate Bill (SB) No. 312, which mainly sets the institutionalization of regulatory policies and accreditation standards for halal products in the country.
She is scheduled to formally endorse or sponsor the bill’s passage next week before the Senate’s plenary.
“Once passed, (this proposed law) will enable Mindanao to produce halal-certified products and eventually become the production center of halal products for exports,” she said in a gathering of farmers and local government leaders in Tupi, Suth Cotabato on Tuesday.
Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said the passage of the measure will pave the way for establishment of a credible national halal certification or accreditation board.
Halal is Arabic for “permitted” and refers to a food or non-food preparation method under Islamic law.
Industry stakeholders earlier lamented that the country’s halal industry had failed to take off due to the absence of such body.
“To make our halal products more competitive in the export market, we need to establish and institutionalize a certifying board that is reliable and credible,” Villar said.
She noted that the global market for halal products has been steadily growing and its value is now estimated at around US$2.3 trillion.
Around US0 billion of the halal market are food products that could be produced in Mindanao, she said.[]
