Eight Filipino agricultural companies have bagged $19.91 million worth of orders to the United Arab Emirates after joining a world expo promoting Halal foods.

'Halal' refers to foods that could or could not be eaten, as specified in Qu'ran, and were prepared based on Islamic guidelines, which includes a certain method of slaughtering an animal for consumption.

The Filipino companies that have recently clinched orders were:

• AgriNurture, Inc.
• Beaches Farms and Trading Corp.
• C’Est La Vie Food Phil. Inc.
• Florence Foods Corp.
• Guaranfood Manufacturing
• Q-Phil Products International
• RFM Corporation
• Sr. Pedro Lechon Manok

 A multi-purpose cooperative, Visayas Chamber of Mango Industry MPC, also joined the Halal expo.

C’est La Vie is supplying processed tuna and processed mango products totaling to $960,000 over two years.  It will also export cavendish and cardaba bananas and fresh mangoes to UAE.

Beaches Farm and Trading Corp. will ship out eggs worth $1.98 million while Florence Foods clinched $960,000 worth of processed food deals.  It will also supply Iran for one year dessicated coconuts, $60,000; fresh Cavendish bananas, $1.08 million; and canned pineapples worth $1.3 million.

Halal market

Department of Agriculture (DA) Asst. Sec. Clayton Olalia said these shipments are hoped to be sustained as the global market for Halal, a food safety certification for Muslims, could reach more than $500 billion.

For the Middle East countries, total Halal food consumption in 2007 reached $20 billion. The previous year, it was only $16 billion.

Of the Halal food market in Middle East, the food demand of United Arab Emirates (UAE) alone was estimated at $4 billion.

“UAE is in a strategic business location as an active and challenging market as well as a re-export hub in the Middle East and Africa,” said Olalia said in a statement.

“ (With it) we look ahead to major expansions in trade,” she concluded.