The Agriculture Department of the Chiayi County Government recently led 7 enterprises to Malaysia to attend a food exhibition. Yingquan, which produces dried fruits, and the Dongshi Grain Cooperative, which produces peanuts, were favored by many manufacturers because they had applied for Halal certification early on. The entire delegation's estimated order value could reach US$1.23 million, and thanks to this Halal certificate, Yingquan in particular saw its relevant market performance grow substantially by 60-70%.
To expand the sales of the county's high-quality agricultural specialties to Malaysia's Halal market, in late September the county government again organized a delegation to attend the Malaysia International Food Exhibition. Building on the experience of its first participation four years earlier, this year's results were even more fruitful, with estimated order value expected to be double that of four years ago. Such results are largely thanks to Halal certification.
Yu Shunfeng of the Dongshi Grain Cooperative said that applying for the Halal certification mark is mainly to let Muslim consumers know they can eat the product with peace of mind. For example, on this trip to Malaysia, whether manufacturers or consumers, as soon as they arrived at the Chiayi products hall, they first looked for the certification mark, representing the local trust in this certification.
Yu Shunfeng pointed out that Halal certification requires strict adherence to the standards set by Islamic law regarding ingredient composition of edible products, processing procedures, hygiene management, and packaging, storage and transportation. For example, pork, alcohol or bloody processes cannot be used, and the production plant also cannot enshrine deities. Only after on-site assessment and approval by an inspector can one obtain this ticket to the emerging market.
Jiang Xinjie, a specialist at Yingquan, also said that since obtaining Halal certification, markets in Malaysia and elsewhere have grown substantially. Yu Zhaofeng is glad he applied for certification early, which successfully opened up the local market, and further plans to upgrade the Taiwan certification to international Halal certification, relying on Halal certification to expand a larger international footprint.