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The delegation of The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan takes part in the Global Halal Business Forum in Brazil
In Brazil, Sao Paulo is hosting the Global Halal Brazil Business Forum 2023 for the second time, which brought together halal industry experts from all over the world to exchange experiences. The forum’s emphasis is on strengthening relations between Latin American and Arab countries, as well as promoting the position of halal products on the world stage.
The event is organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and FAMBRAS HALAL. For the first time, a delegation of The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan, headed by the Mufti of Tatarstan Kamil Hazrat Samigullin, is taking part in the conference. He is accompanied by the chairman of the Halal Standards Committee, Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov.
During the forum, the delegation will hold a number of meetings with the heads of various departments for control of halal production, as well as with the leadership of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. Also during the congress, Kamil Hazrat Samigullin is scheduled to speak on the development of the HalalLifeStyle program in the Republic of Tatarstan. Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov, Chairman of the Halal Standards Committee, will make a report on the development of the halal industry in Russia.
The forum organizes work into five sections: ESG practices aligned with halal values, The value of a halal product for the consumer, Technologies driving halal international business, Halal, logistics and strategic hubs, as well as a section on tourism and entertainment: innovation and competitiveness.
It should be noted that the delegation of The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan takes part in the framework of cooperation between the Halal Standard Committee and FAMBRAS HALAL and the memorandum signed between the two organizations at the site of the XIV International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2023”.
FAMBRAS HALAL is the largest certification body for halal products and services in Latin America and a pioneer in the implementation of the halal system in Brazil in accordance with the main international standards. FAMBRAS HALAL is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil and has branches in Colombia and Paraguay. The company exports products to 185 countries, including the Russian Federation, and has accreditation in countries that require the certification body to pass it. It employs over 1,800 employees and has been in the services market for 43 years.
Press service of the Halal Standard Committee
The Committee was visited by a delegation from the Republic of Belarus
The Halal Standards Committee of The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan was visited by the director of the Belarusian Center for Halal Standardization and Certification of BelHalal LLC, Rustam Khasenevich, and technical expert of BelHalal LLC, Vitaly Luchina. The delegation arrived in Kazan at the invitation of the Chairman of the Halal Standard Committee Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov.
Experience was exchanged in matters of halal certification and international accreditation – a number of meetings were held at which Rustam Khasenevich spoke about the nuances of passing international accreditation, and the international standards GSO 2055 and GSO 993 were reviewed.
“We arrived in the Republic of Tatarstan to our brothers, to The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan, to the Halal Standard Committee, and I am glad that our mission is to assist in understanding the standards of the Persian Gulf and explain all the nuances of passing accreditation and specifically certification according to the standards of the Gulf countries. I did this with great joy, because sharing useful information and helping is our responsibility as Muslims. I hope that in the future, the Chairman of the Committee, Abbyas Hazrat, will also pass on this knowledge, and this is how our industry will develop. I am also here so that we all become even closer, find more in common, so that our work and our ummah are one, and we do not move away, even when we are at a great distance from each other. We must be united in soul, so such meetings need to be held more often, so that we get closer in hearts and spirit, and always stay together,” shared Rustam Khasenevich.
It is worth noting that, as part of the signed memorandum between the Halal Standard Committee and BelHalal, a road map of joint activities for 2023-2024 has been drawn up.
Press service of the Halal Standard Committee
The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan discussed issues of cooperation with the Belarusian Center for Standardization and Certification “Halal”
Today, the Mufti of Tatarstan Kamil Hazrat Samigullin met with a delegation from the Republic of Belarus led by the director of the Belarusian Halal standardization and certification body BelHalal LLC, advisor to the Mufti of the MRO of the Republic of Belarus Rustam Khasenevich. The delegation also included a technical expert from BelHalal LLC, Vitaly Luchina, and the head of the expert department of Tsentralhalalnadzor LLC, Albert Akhmadullov (Moscow). The delegation arrived in Kazan at the invitation of the Chairman of the Halal Standards Committee, Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov.
BelHalal LLC is the only certification body on the territory of the Republic of Belarus that has received the appropriate powers from the chairman of the republican religious association “Muslim Religious Association in the Republic of Belarus” Mufti Sheikh Abu-Bekir Shabanovich. Belhalal LLC is accredited by MOIAT (UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced). Certificates issued by Belhalal LLC are valid in the Gulf countries.
The purpose of the delegation’s visit, within the framework of the previously signed memorandum between the Committee and BelHalal LLC, was to study by the parties the issue of introducing the GSO 2055-2 standard into the quality management system and to study current issues.
At the meeting, the leaders discussed the development of the halal industry, certification, interaction at the international level, as well as the principle of issuing a Halal certificate. Kamil Hazrat spoke about the main goal of the Halal Standard Committee of The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan – protecting the interests of consumers in the field of halal products and services. The mufti also noted that compliance with Shariah norms should be a priority in the production of halal goods. The delegation expressed its readiness to cooperate with The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan in the field of halal certification and shared its plans on this issue.
The director of BelHalal LLC spoke about the work of the organization and active interaction with enterprises wishing to produce Halal products through a system of seminars, participation in exhibitions and international forums.
The Belarusian delegation highly appreciated the activities of The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan in various directions and wished them success in serving the Ummah.
Press service of The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan
Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov took part in the opening of “HALAL EXPO-2023” in Kazakhstan
Today, the International Exhibition “HALAL EXPO-2023”, organized by “Halal Damu” LLP under the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, opened in Almaty. Chairman of the Halal Standard Committee Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov arrived at the event at the invitation of the director of Halal Damu Aibek Atashev. After the official opening of the event, delegates got acquainted with the exhibition and its exhibitors.
As part of the business visit, Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov met with the Grand Mufti, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan Nauryzbay Haji Taganuly. The Kazakh spiritual leader conveyed greetings to the Mufti of the Republic of Tatarstan Kamil Hazrat Samigullin.
The goal of “HALAL EXPO-2023” is to popularize enterprises producing halal products at the international and consumer level. The HALAL EXPO-2023 exhibition brought together reputable enterprises and entrepreneurs, public and religious figures, manufacturers and consumers under one roof.
“This exhibition will allow enterprises to present their products and services, familiarize consumers with various halal products, enter into cooperation agreements with manufacturers, and receive new information about halal,” noted the Grand Mufti, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan Nauryzbai Haji Taganuly at the opening ceremony.
“HALAL EXPO-2023” will last two days – from September 15 to 16. The event will include seminars and trainings related to the halal sector.
Press service of the Halal Standard Committee
Photo: Press service of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan
The Committee concluded a memorandum with the Halal Certification and Standardization Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Today, on the sidelines of HALAL EXPO-2023, a memorandum was signed between the Halal Standard Committee, represented by Chairman Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov, and the Halal Certification and Standardization Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan, represented by General Director Jahongir Salamov.
The parties intend to focus their efforts on the exchange of experience, recognition of certificates and the creation of conditions conducive to the study and establishment of constructive long-term partnerships in the field of studying the halal industry.
Contractual relations also imply the provision of necessary, including organizational, assistance in the activities carried out by the parties.
Press service of the Halal Standard Committee
Committee employees studied new versions of international standards for halal products
The day before, a training took place organized by the Belarusian State Accreditation Center (BSAC) jointly with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technologies of the United Arab Emirates (MOIAT). As part of the training, employees of the Halal Standard Committee studied the requirements of new versions of UAE standards for the production and conformity assessment of halal products.
In particular, the following standards were considered: UAE.S 993:2022 “Requirements for the slaughter of animals according to Islamic Rules”, GSO 9:2022 “Labelling of packaged foods”, GSO 2055-2:2021 “Halal products – Part 2: General requirements for halal certification bodies.”
The lecturers were: a technical appraiser and technical expert of the Accreditation Department of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technologies of the UAE, Muhammad Sabir, as well as a quality evaluator and technical appraiser of the Department of Ohood Al-Bannai.
Press service of the Halal Standard Committee
Pilot testing of Islamic banking started in Tatarstan on September 1
In addition to Tatarstan, four constituent entities of the Russian Federation will take part in the experiment: Dagestan, Chechnya, and Bashkiria. The pilot’s term is two years. Based on the results of the experiment, a decision will be made to distribute partnership financing in other regions of the country.
“One of the directions of the experiment will be to use the potential of the halal industry. Another is to increase the level of financial literacy among the population,” says the official telegram channel of the community of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The key feature of Islamic banking is the sharing of risks on all sides of financial relations, as well as the refusal of interest income and financing of haram sectors of the economy.
You can be confident that a financial product is halal provided that it is prepared and approved by competent specialists in Islamic law and economics, and its implementation is controlled by Sharia experts. In Tatarstan, compliance with halal Islamic finance standards will be controlled by The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan.
“In our country, such a certifying and monitoring body is the Council of Ulema,” Mufti Kamil Hazrat Samigullin emphasized in his speech at the briefing.
As for the participating banks, as reported by Izvestia, Sber is planning its participation in the experiment: halal financial products will be presented in pilot territories in the bank’s flagship offices and subsidiaries. Sovcombank is also studying the opportunities that the law offers in terms of investment products and is exploring options for providing such services.
Let us recall that the bill on Islamic (affiliate) banking was adopted by the State Duma on July 19 of this year. On August 23, The Muslim Religious Board of the Republic of Tatarstan discussed a plan for implementing an experiment on Islamic banking, and on August 29, a briefing on Islamic finance issues was held at the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Press service of the Halal Standard Committee
Photo: Vladimir Vasiliev / Tatar-inform
The development of export of halal products was discussed at KazanForum 2023
There are about 2 billion Muslims in the world who consume halal products every day, recalled Yousif Salem Alharbi, director of the Halal Center of the Saudi Arabian Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). Demand is also growing from non-Islamic consumers due to the high quality of these products. “Halal is a premium product that is often sold at a higher price. We need to ensure the highest quality of such products and compliance with current standards,” emphasized Yusif Salem Alharbi. Currently, the Center recognizes certificates from more than 200 certification bodies around the world. Also in Saudi Arabia, a project is being implemented to introduce blockchain technology, which will enable consumers to track the entire supply chain of halal products right down to the farm.
The Committee launched the ProHalal application in test mode
The mobile app ProHalal is an information guide to catering establishments, checking ingredients and food additives.
At the moment, the mobile app is working in test mode and is available only for smartphones running Android OS. It can be downloaded from our website using the link. To install the application, follow the instructions indicated on the website. Enjoy!
Press service of the Halal Standard Committee
Experts assessed the potential of the Russian agricultural industry
Exports of products from the Russian agro-industrial complex grew by 13% at the end of last year and exceeded $40 billion. At the same time, the volume of exports of halal products added almost a quarter to the 2021 figures. Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Sergei Levin stated this during a round table on the sidelines of the Russia – Islamic World forum in Kazan.
Increase in exports from Russia
“Russia is actively developing supplies to foreign markets. Last year, exports of agricultural products grew by 13% and exceeded $41.5 billion. At the same time, exports of Russian halal products grew at twice the rate and increased by 24% at the end of the year,” said Levin.
According to him, products with halal certificates are an upward trend for the Russian agro-industrial complex; the demand for such goods is growing both abroad and within the country. Global consumption of halal services and products in the world is estimated at two trillion dollars, half of which is food, the deputy minister noted.
Levin also emphasized that in today’s geopolitical situation, cooperation with Islamic countries takes on additional importance. Therefore, it is important to develop all its aspects, including trade.
“Russia has a very significant potential for further increasing supplies. For this purpose, great attention is paid to the development of the halal certification system, interaction with halal certification bodies in other countries, so that products manufactured in Russia enjoy trust, respect and popularity among domestic and foreign consumers in Muslim countries,” Levin emphasized and expressed confidence that the presence on the discussion platform of representatives of a whole range of countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC – ed.) will contribute to building up trade relations in the future.
In turn, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Haji Mohamad bin Sabu, noted that the increase in trade turnover between Malaysia and the Russian Federation is mutually beneficial, and expressed hope for the development of trade between the two countries. This will be facilitated by the signing of a memorandum between the two countries.
“By the end of the year we will be able to sign a protocol of mutual understanding; this memorandum will allow us to create reliable access for Russian and Malaysian enterprises to the markets of our countries,” said Mohamad bin Sabu. And he emphasized that in the very near future, Russian exporters of halal products should expect an increase in exports to Malaysia.
Certification of halal products
The increase in the growth of Russian exports will be facilitated not only by an increase in production volumes, but also by the standardization of the requirements of OIC countries for the issuance of certificates, says Alexey Solodov, vice-president of the Russian Export Center (REC). According to him, today manufacturers who are interested in promoting their products have to certify them in accordance with the requirements of each country.
“One enterprise is certified according to nine standards of countries (SA, Malaysia, Iran, Oman, Emirates, etc.). We are ready to do this because we are interested in developing exports, but it would still be more effective to return to the issue of unifying halal standards “- emphasized Solodov.
His proposal was fully supported by enterprise representatives present at the meeting. Sirajuddin Suhaimi, Deputy Director General of the Halal Certification Department of the Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia JAKIM, also spoke in support of this step. At the same time, he proposed to look at the issue more broadly: to create a halal logistics center in Russia, which will also provide logistics services.
To summarize, Vitaly Nagalin, head of the industry development department of the Federal Center “Agroexport”, noted that in order to increase Russian exports of products according to halal standards, it is necessary to engage in promotion built on a system of national certification and “traceability” of raw materials and processing at all stages of production.
“The promotion of halal products can receive an additional impetus through the creation of a national umbrella brand. This will help increase awareness of foreign consumers about Russian products and create a sustainable positive image of Russia as a food producer,” Nagalin is confident.
Demand for halal products
According to experts, Muslims today account for up to a quarter of the world’s population. More than 60% of them are young people under 30 years of age, who are the driving force behind the demand for halal products. By 2050, the increase in the number of Muslims is estimated at 10%, the annual increase in their expenses against the backdrop of high rates of increase in well-being is 7-10%. In this regard, experts predict a steady increase in demand for halal products.
The main share of exports of Russian halal products at the end of last year was meat products and confectionery products. Russian agricultural products are also widely represented on the market of OIC countries and are increasingly gaining interest among non-Muslim states.
Meat products have special potential for both the foreign and domestic markets. At the same time, halal accounts for only a tenth of the total volume of poultry, beef and lamb.
Committee and FAMBRAS signed a memorandum
At KazanForum, a memorandum was signed with the largest Brazilian organization for the certification of halal products – FAMBRAS HALAL.
The executive director of the company, Bassim Ali al-Zaghbi, expressed his readiness to assist the Committee in matters for the benefit of the development of the halal industry and international certification.
FAMBRAS HALAL is the largest certification body for halal products and services in Latin America and the first pioneer in the implementation of the halal system in Brazil in accordance with the main international standards. FAMBRAS HALAL is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil and has branches in Colombia and Paraguay. The company exports products to 185 countries of the world, including the Russian Federation, has accreditation in countries that require certification bodies to pass it.
Press service of the Halal Standard Committee
Chairman of the Committee spoke at the session within KazanForum
Within the framework of the international economic forum “RUSSIA – ISLAMIC WORLD: KAZANFORUM” 2023, the Chairman of the Committee, Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov, made a presentation at a session dedicated to the formation of a modern system for training specialists in the field of Halal.
The report focused on the participation of specialists in Islamic law (theologians) in the development of the Halal System, which is important and key in the development of the halal industry in Russia.
Abbyas hazrat noted that Tatarstan is a unique region where the Russian halal industry began its first steps, and the republic has great potential to become a window for the development of the Russian halal industry in the future.
“It is necessary to realize that “Halal” and “Haram” are, first of all, a matter of Faith. Therefore, the role of the Muslim clergy in the certification of Halal products and the blessing of these products on their part should remain a priority,” the chairman said.
The session was also attended by the rector of the Mohammed bin Zayed Humanitarian University – Khalifa Mubarak Az-Zahiri, professor of the Chechen State University Shamil Shovkhalov, head of the ANO “Russian Quality System” Maxim Protasov, mufti of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia Albir hazrat Krganov, rector of the Russian Islamic Institute and Kazan Islamic University Rafik Mukhametshin.
According to the market analysis of halal products and services, 97% of Russian consumers prefer domestic producers, 80% rate halal products as “high quality products”, 83% trust domestic halal products.
If we talk about forecasts, then the growth rate of the halal industry will be 9-12%. Already by 2024, the volume is expected to be 1.97 trillion. $. As for the export of halal products, it is planned that it will increase by 3.5 times.
Press Service of the Halal Standard Committee