News From : DagangHalal.com (26 Oct 2009)
Bandar Seri Begawan – Mulaut Abattoir is considering obtaining a licence to use the Brunei Halal brand to help ease its entry in lucrative Islamic markets for beef products, said the company’s acting deputy general manager.
“Mulaut Abattoir has been trying to export Mulaut Haoyue beef to Islamic countries under the Brunei Halal brand,” Pg Imran Pg Hj Sabli told The Brunei Times.
“We are confident that the Brunei Halal brand is a strong brand, and given time and publicity, the halal brand will penetrate the global halal market,” he said of the recently launched seal, which the Sultanate deems will make a splash in Islamic markets chiefly due to its reputation for strict adherence to principles governing food preparation under Islamic teachings.
It would be noted though that Ghanim International Food Corp Sdn Bhd, the company set up to manage the marketing and use of the brand, has yet to consider Bruneian companies in the initial batches that will carry the seal.
While waiting to get in the shortlist of food producers being studied as official users of Brunei’s premium halal brand, Mulaut Abattoir has also been in talks with potential distributors of its goods in overseas markets.
“We have been in contact with a foreign company as (a possible) distributor in the Middle East. Nothing has materialised so far but we will continue to seek for (opportunities in the) export markets,” he said.
The Brunei market is small and since Mulaut Abattoir needs to expand its operations, it has to look for new export opportunities, he said.
Mulaut Abattoir has been exporting corned beef to Sabah since 2006. The export quantity is small but “we are confident that we can increase the volume of export to Sabah once we get the supply of cheap raw materials”, said Pg Imran.
Neighbouring Sabah remains a good market because of its population of 2.73 million and the cost of transportation is minimal, he said, adding consumers them like Brunei-made corned beef.
For raw materials, Mulaut Abattoir has imported Haoyue beef from China. Import volumes have increased from 176.9 metric tonnes (May 2008 to December) to 253.3 metric tonnes (January 2009 to October 2009).
The supplier comes from Jilin Province Changchun Hao Yue Islamic Meat, which has a halal certification from Jabatan Agama Kemajuan Islam Malaysia.
The supplier also exports frozen and chilled beef to 21 countries including Malaysia, Jordan and Egypt.
“The beef comes in good quality from its livestock breeds, for example ‘Simmental’ and the actual place of the abattoir is free from foot and mouth diseases,” Pg Imran said.
The meat produced in Brunei is estimated to be around 30.45 metric tonnes which is 0.8 per cent of total supply.
Brunei’s total meat consumption is 317.11 metric tonnes per month, said Pg Imran, citing statistics from the Agriculture Department. This translates to 3,805.32 every year. “Out of this, 1,510.59 metric tonnes is beef and 2,994.73 is buffalo meat,” he said.
On average, Mulaut Abattoir imports 28.6 metric tonne per month of frozen and chilled Haoyue beef, he said. “The selling price ranges from $5.80 per kilo to $9.80, while the best parts such as tenderloin are sold at $18.00 per kilo.”
Mulaut also imports from Australia.– Courtesy of The Brunei Times