São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) will work together to increase the share of Brazilian products in the halal market, particularly higher value-added foodstuffs. They will carry out the Halal do Brasil project to promote the sector at an international level.
According to information made public by the ABCC and ApexBrasil, the agreement forecasts an investment of BRL 15 million (USD 2.84 million) over 30 months to promote trade, as well as subsidies for Brazilian food companies interested in applying for so-called halal certification of their products. Obtaining halal certification means a product will be suitable for consumption in Muslim societies, where food is permissible only if prepared according to certain dietary requirements.
Tamer Mansour, the ABCC’s secretary-general, was quoted as saying in the statement the project aims to certificate 500 potential Brazilian food and beverages exporters to participate in the global halal food trade. The global halal market comprises 1.9 billion consumers and is worth USD 1.267 trillion per year, and it is expected to grow 7.1% by 2025, according to the 2022 State of the Global Islamic Economy report.
“We want to see Brazil increase its share in Islamic markets by taking advantage of its competitive edge, its long-term relations with Islamic countries, and the good reputation of Brazilian halal in these markets, which has been earned from trading protein since the 1970s,” Mansour was quoted as saying.
The promotion actions will prioritize the participation in trade shows in Muslim markets. In addition to broadening trade with the 22 countries of the Arab League, the agreement will seek to boost Brazilian exports to Malaysia and Indonesia. It will also aim for more halal certified food sales to Muslim-minority nations like France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
On the diplomatic front, Brazilian embassies in target countries will seek dialogue with governments and entities to promote the national halal. “We have already been on this path with food and beverages, security and defense, oil and natural gas, toiletry and cosmetics, home and building,” ApexBrasil president Augusto Pestana said last July while commenting the joint initiative with the ABCC during the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries.
In 2021 Brazil exported USD 16.5 billion of food and beverages to the 57 countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the statement said. That represented 7.2% of total imports by the bloc. Brazil is the world’s second largest food and beverage supplier to the Muslim world, but mainly sells raw commodities including sugar, soybeans, poultry and maize, the statement said.
According to Mansour, the Brazilian growth in the Islamic market still comes up against the low supply of halal-certified processed goods, which is why the cooperation with ApexBrasil wants to encourage the halal certification among the companies. The certification ensures that the foodstuff is free from pork-products, whose consumption is forbidden in Islam, among other guarantees.
According to Mansour, encouraging certification will also contribute to marketing Brazilian halal food, as Muslim countries associate this kind of product to socially responsible production and a healthy lifestyle. He also pointed out that halal (which is Arabic for “permissible”) lays down rules not only for foods but also cosmetics, toiletries, medicines, fashion, entertainment, tourism, and the Islamic financial system.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
