NZIMM ready to export into more Halal markets

Media News Release by New Zealand Islamic Meat Management

New Zealand Islamic Meat Management is ready and able to take up the Prime Minister’s challenge to sell exports into more Halal markets.

NZIMM, one of two Halal export certifiers in New Zealand, says the Halal certification we have for meat and ingredients is second to none.

The Prime Minister, John Key, has told Federated Farmers’ National Council that New Zealand exporters need to understand their markets better than they currently do, and the world market for Halal certified products is a complex challenge.

The Managing Director of NZIMM, Haj Dr Mohamed Abdel-Al says NZIMM wants to give New Zealand exporters the credibility to develop markets in Moslem countries.

“We have developed a science based Halal certification in New Zealand during the past thirty years that other countries are trying to copy, from Britain to Turkey. Our systems are the gold standard. It is excellent that the government realises the opportunities in Moslem countries and we would like to work with the government and exporters to realise the potential Halal market. This applies not only to Moslem countries, but the hundreds of millions of Moslems who live in non Moslem countries, such as India.”

Dr Abdel-Al says there are current Halal certification problems in both Indonesia and Malaysia, two of the biggest Halal product markets.

“For Indonesia we are grateful for the government support in our attempts to regain listing for both New Zealand Halal certifiers there. We look forward to an audit from a team from the Majelis Ulama Indonesia in the very near future, so we can re-establish a proper certification regime for Indonesia.”

Dr Abdel-Al says decision making ambiguities among different authorities have delayed a resumption of New Zealand meat exports to Malaysia.

“Fortunately the situation in Malaysia is now clearer and I’m now more optimistic that we can discuss with them their technical compliance issues and get a favourable result there as well.”

Issued by Dr Mohamed Abdel-Al

Table of population and meat imports for major Moslem markets.

Muslim population (Top 25) :

Country - Population (million)

Indonesia - 195
Pakistan - 161
India - 154
Bangladesh - 130
Turkey - 73
Egypt - 70
Iran - 69
Nigeria - 66
China - 39
Ethiopia - 36
Algeria - 32
Morocco - 30
Afghanistan - 30
Sudan - 29
Iraq - 28
Russia - 28
Saudi Arabia - 25
Uzbekistan - 23
Yemen - 21
Tanzania - 18
Syria - 16
Malaysia - 14
Niger - 13
Senegal - 11
Ghana - 10

Meat imports :

Country - US $ (million)
China - 768
Saudi Arabia - 588
Singapore - 267
Kuwait - 96
Malaysia - 88
Oman - 77
Qatar - 46
Nigeria - 46
Egypt - 36
Ukraine - 34
Albania - 33
Turkmenistan - 30
Bahrain - 30
Indonesia - 26
Jordan - 25
Kazakhstan - 24
Senegal - 23
Cameron - 21
Ghana - 21
Mauritius - 15
Algeria - 7
Thailand - 3
Lebanon - 2.5
Morocco - 1.5
Mozambique - 1.3

Dairy products imports :

Country - US $ (million)
Algeria - 455
Saudi Arabia - 411
China - 322
Malaysia - 283
Indonesia - 241
Singapore - 235
Thailand - 228
Nigeria - 198
Oman - 123
Kuwait - 92
Jordan - 78
Bangladesh - 63
Lebanon - 57
Bahrain - 55
Kazakhstan - 54
Qatar - 51
Senegal - 50
Egypt - 21
Mauritius - 21
Morocco - 28

ENDS

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