Turkey Eyes Halal Industry Share

Seeking a greater share of the halal industry pie, Turkey is concentrating its efforts to get a lion's share of the growing global market, hoping it will contribute to a boom in the Turkish economy.

“Turkey is a big country, and it should have a bigger role in the halal market,” Hüseyin Kami Büyüközer, the chairman of the Food Auditing and Certification Research Association (GİMDES) told Sunday’s Zaman newspaper on Sunday, according to Taqrib News Agency (TNA).

The concept of halal, meaning permissible in Islam, has traditionally been applied to food.

Now other goods and services can also be certified as halal, including cosmetics, clothing, pharmaceuticals and financial services.

Though basically served to Muslim population, more than 80 pc of world’s halal industry is conducted by non-Muslim countries or countries with Muslim minority, the paper said.

"Asian countries in particular are very sensitive about halal products,” Büyüközer stated and added “Turkey should replace non-Muslim countries active in the industry.”

Turkey is set to host a fair on halal and healthy products in Istanbul in October. It aims to bring its export volume to $500 billion by 2023.