Turkey's first halal accreditation agency will serve Muslims around the world when it opens, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said yesterday. The agency, which is due to open later this year, will service the $3.9 trillion global market for halal products.
"The demands of the global Muslim population of 1.8 billion for halal products and their certification are incrementally increasing," Zeybekci told the World Halal Summit Istanbul.
Zeybekci said demand for halal products, which are produced according to Islamic law as defined in the Quran, could not be satisfied solely by Muslim countries. "But we can produce much more than today's level," he said. "All of the tasks of determining standards, setting up assessment and evaluation systems and certifying procedures for halal products should be done by Muslim countries." He added that Turkey has the technical capability to provide this for the Muslim world.
Last month, the government submitted a proposal to Parliament to establish the agency, which would be the only one of its kind in the country, but also able to establish overseas branches.
Halal accreditation agencies enforce standards, protect halal consumers and boost international trade.
In a written statement to the summit, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said managing halal certification through a single agency is important for Muslims around the world.
Attended by more than 200 firms and companies, the summit and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Halal Expo began yesterday in Istanbul
High-level speakers from more than 80 countries are discussing halal food, pharmaceutical and medicine issues as well as Islamic finance, tourism and textiles until Saturday.