The organiser of a halal expo has said it wants to turn Dubai into the “Halal hub” of the Middle East.
Orange Fairs and Events project manager Nasees Ahmed said: “With 220 million Halal customers across the region the market here is now very much open.”
The event attracted 1230 participants from 38 countries and sales between exhibitors and visitors were valued at AED 11 million (US $2.9 million) said Ahmed, whose company organised last month’s 2nd Halal Expo at the Crowne Plaza Dubai.
Papa Foods Pty Ltd global managing director Christine Lim, who was exhibiting cassava root chips and corn snack at the event, said: “We’ve come from Singapore and it’s our first time in the Middle East.
“We heard about this expo and we know Halal is an important thing for the Middle East so we think this is a good place to do business.
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“The crowds are not too big but we do seem to get good quality buyers and people here,” Lim added.
Philippine Halal Science and Technology national program leader Dr Haja Sittie Shayma Zenaida Raof-Laidan commented that the Halal industry had “a global market potential worth US $600 billion”.
“Many people who want to become healthier prefer to buy Halal; it is not only for Muslims but for everyone,” she said.
The event featured several varieties of food and beverage products, including French Halal-certified non-alcoholic sparkling grape drink Cham’alal, Malaysian Halal vegetable oil and Pakistani ready-to-eat meals.
There were also several Brazilian food and drink firms at the event, pushing Halal products ranging from evaporated milk to cashew nuts.
Orange Fairs and Events Ahmed added: “We’re looking forward to next year’s event which will be held in a larger venue and already we have 90% of 2009 exhibitors booked.”
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