Brazil is world’s largest exporter of halal certified products:FAMBRAS

FAMBRAS has many joint projects with Al-Azhar, Dar al-Iftaa, and Endowments Ministry: El Zoghbi

Halal trade is booming in non-Muslim countriessuch as China and Russia

The crisis of halal certification in Egypt was behind the decline in Cairo's meat imports from Brazil

Although it’s expected to witness lower turnout than previous editions due to COVID-19, the Gulf Foodexhibition is still very important

Brazil has ranked first among the top countries exporting halal certified products to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, according tothe eighth edition of the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report for 2020/21. The report covers developments over this landmark period pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic.

During this period, Brazil reported $16.2bn worth halal-certified exports, followed by India by $14.4bn, the USA by $13.8bn, Russia by $11.9bn, and Argentina by $10.2bn.

BassimEl Zoghbi, CEO of the Federation of Muslim Associations of Brazil (FAMBRAS), said the halal trade is increasing annually, and even spread in non-Muslim countries.

He explained that halal tradeis not limited to bovine and poultry only, but also includes other products. China and Russia have increased their importsof halal food products during the recent period, due to their knowledge of their high quality.The whole world became aware of the halal concept, and it is no longer areligious matter only.

El Zoghbiadded that halal trade in Brazil now includes raw inputsused in the production of many non-food productssuch as cosmetics, medicines, and clothes.

He pointed out that Brazil was one of the most affected countries by the Coronavirus pandemic, which was reflected certainly in the commercial and service activities of FAMBRAS.The health crisis led to the suspension of some projects, and newwork methods were innovated to ensure the continuation of services and activities provided by the Federation.

FAMBRASwas founded in 1979 by Hajj Hussein Mohamed El Zoghbi, under the auspices and supervision of several Arab and Islamic embassies in Brazil. Ministries of Endowments and Islamic Affairs across the world, aswell as Muslim associations in Brazil supported the Federation, with the aim of strengthening and unifying various Islamic institutions in Brazil at the time.

Since then, FAMBRAS acts in religious, social, economic, and diplomatic areas. Within these spheres, it develops projects that include the Islamic dissemination, and educational and health services both for the benefit of the Muslim and underprivileged communities in Brazil.

In addition, FAMBRAS was a pioneer of deploying the concept of halal system in the country. Today, the world knows that Brazil is the largest exporter of halal poultry and bovine meat in the world. Thanks to the Hajj Hussein, it was possible to realize the first halal export to Arab countries.

Regarding the Gulf Food 2021 exhibition, El Zoghbiexpectedthat this edition will witness lower turnout than the previous years, in light of the absence of a large number of exhibiting companies, as well as the expected decline in the number of visitors due to COVID-19.

However, FAMBRASwill participate in the current edition of Gulf Food to contribute to the success of the exhibition, and to remain in contact with customers all over the world.

El Zoghbi stressed that the Federationenjoys close relations with Egypt since the former’s inception, as it has many joint projects with Al-Azhar, Dar al-Iftaa, and the Ministry of Endowments.

He added that they are currently working on a new protocol with Dar al-Iftaa to dispatchauditors to assess halal products in Brazil.

Meanwhile, El Zoghbi attributed the decline in cooperation between FAMBRAS and the Egyptian market to the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture’s decision to authoriseonly one company with the issuance of halal certificates for imported products.This company imposed high fees on halal certificates, which pushed Brazilian companies to refrain from exporting to Egypt due to the difficulty of exporting procedures last year.

He noted that Cairo was one of the most important importing countries of meat from Brazil in 2019, as the Egyptian and Brazilian Ministries of Agriculture had strong relations and FAMBRAS played a role in reducing meat prices to Egypt.