Mekong Delta’s first halal certification center established in Can Tho

The signing ceremony to establish the Vietnam-Malaysia Center of Halal - Photo: baocantho

Speaking on August 6, NHONHO General Director Hoang Ba Nghi said many countries in the Middle East are importing an increasing amount of Vietnamese goods, especially vegetables, fruits and seafood.

He elaborated that Vietnamese exports to the region were worth US$12 billion in 2018 and rose to US$14 billion in 2018, showing great potential for the market.

But Nghi noted that one of the barriers for exports to the Middle East market is that they must be certified to comply with halal requirements.

After being established, the Vietnam-Malaysia Centre of Halal in Can Tho will issue halal certificates to concerned enterprises so that they can ship their products to Islamic countries.

Nor Helmy Mustapha, an expert at RSD Management Solution, said that its goal is to create a halal certification organization in Can Tho and help the city become a popular destination to the Islamic community.

He added that in the coming time, RSD will step up the transfer of halal technology from Malaysia to Can Tho to serve the center’s operations.

According to Deputy Director of Can Tho’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Pham Truong Yen, the establishment of a halal certification center is a good condition for locally produced goods to access new markets, especially the Middle East with more than 1.8 billion people.

Following the signing ceremony, the Vietnam-Malaysia Halal Certification Center awarded halal certificates to three enterprises in Can Tho and Dong Nai province.