Home » Brunei Halal Goods Set For Launch Within Year

Brunei Halal Goods Set For Launch Within Year

News From : DagangHalal.com (28 Sep 2009)

First Range Won’t Be Sold Locally But Sent Straight To Markets Abroad

Bandar Seri Begawan – Brunei is expected to launch its first range of products under the premium Brunei Halal brand within the next six to 12 months, The Brunei Times learned yesterday.

‘Right now we have already targeted several companies food and beverage companies and are in the process to select companies to manufacture for Ghanim,” said a spokesperson from Ghanim International Food Corporation, the company appointed by His Majesty’s Government to oversee the Brunei Halal brand.

The Brunei Halal brand was launched during the fourth International Halal Products Expo (IHPE) (July 30-Aug 2) this year.

Among some of the objectives for the Brunei Halal brand are giving local companies a platform at gaining a slice of the global halal market, which is estimated at US$580.9 billion and growing rapidly.

The brand is owned and managed by a government-owned company, Brunei Wafirah Holdings Sdn Bhd, which has appointed Ghanim to manage the brand marketing. Ghanim is 50 per cent owned by Hong Kong logistics firm Kerry FSDA and the Brunei government.

The Ghanim spokesperson said that the first range of products using the brand, once confirmed, will not be sold locally but will be sent straight to overseas markets.

“We have not confirmed the places which we will be exporting to,” she said.

Earlier this year, Noel Shield, Ghanim interim CEO, said the company was targeting markets with “high disposable incomes” with the UK, Middle East and Europe being the first three.

“Because of this, local producers cannot sacrifice quality or have lower quality specifications for price as the brand must be instantly recognised as a brand that represents guaranteed food safety, food quality, manufactured according to the highest values of environmental and religious law, and a brand that a person can purchase with complete confidence,” Noel said during workshop for small business.

Some of the supermarkets that Ghanim will be targeting include Tesco and Carrefour outlets to help sell the products.

“We hope to see more products for the Brunei Halal brand, but the challenges will remain… Market is a very important consideration, and it’s not just about producing it, but having the capacity to produce it,” Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Hamid Hj Mohd Jaafar, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and co-chairman of the organising committee for the halal conference, said in a recent interview.

Acting director of the Agriculture department Hjh Normah Suria Hayati PJDSM DSU (Dr) Hj Mohd Jamil AlSufri said that the application process would begin with auditing whereby the products are checked and certified for both its halal status and high quality.

“It has to be of quality… when you see a product that has the Brunei Halal brand, you would not have doubts (of its quality),” she said.

Hjh Normah explained that Ghanim Food International Corporation is in charge of ensuring that the products’ safety and quality factors are not compromised before proceeding to the Brunei Religious Council for its halal certification process. She said after certification, the products will be brought back to Ghanim Food International Corporation for contract manufacturing.

“After the manufacturing, then the products will be in the international halal market,” she said.

Ghanim’s Shield said his main focus in the very early stages would be on “the people who are export-ready and accredited (for compliance with some global standards)”.

During the launch of the brand, Shield said that from information gathered from government officials there was a lot of interest in the brand.

— Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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