Aussie firms to get Brunei Halal seal next month

BRUNEI'S Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) plans to complete by next month the accreditation process for about 20 Australian companies seeking the Brunei Halal Brand seal of approval.

In a paper presented at a recent halal trade conference, Dato Mohd Hamid Mohd Jaafar, chairman of the Brunei Darussalam Halal Management Committee, said the accreditation process for these companies will be completed as early as next month.

An estimated 200 Australian companies are interested in obtaining the Brunei Halal Brand, he said in a paper titled "Opportunities and Strategies in Halal Market: Brunei Perspective", which was presented during the two-day Singapore International Halal Show last week.

Some 160 of these are food manufacturers while 40 are involved in providing services to the food industry such as packaging, storage, transport and specialist advisory services.

In an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday, Normah SH Jamil, acting director of Agriculture at MIPR, said that the accreditation of about 20 Australian companies will enable halal auditing to begin.

The ministry, she said, hopes to launch its first Brunei Halal Brand product before the 3rd International Halal Products Expo in August this year.

The brand is among the ministry's strategies to break into the global halal market.

For the first stage of this initiative, the ministry is concentrating on accrediting companies from Australia. There are, however, other interested food companies from countries like New Zealand and Canada, and the ministry hopes to work on their accreditation applications during the second phase of the initiative.

The Brunei Halal Brand team also hopes to attract foreign investors to the country through developments, such as the Agro Technology Park where 263 hectares of land has been allocated for industrial use.

"The area would be for joint ventures and foreign direct investments manufacturing industries as well as research and development activities and support services for developing halal-related industries such as a halal port," said Dato Mohd Hamid in his presentation.

The ministry, he added, is undertaking preliminary work for Brunei's very own logo brand and its protection.

Brunei aims to make the Brunei Halal Brand a major feature in the international halal food market within the next five years.

Dato Mohd Hamid said revenues from the Brunei Halal Brand project will be used to ensure its sustainability and contribute to economic diversification activities.

The Brunei Times